Dan Aykroyd has written a candid tribute to his friend and former fiancée Carrie Fisher. In a touching letter for Empire's upcoming farewell issue in memory of the actress, Dan spoke openly about the couple's plans for marriage and shared his fondest memories of Carrie from their time together.
"I met Carrie at Saturday Night Live," he recalled. "She and John Belushi became instant pals. I remember how much she made him laugh. Later, while filming Blues Brothers, Carrie and I fell in love and during the shoot she moved in with me into a penthouse suite in the futuristic, aluminium-clad Astro Tower, when I knew to apologise for. Carrie had the most refined eye for art and design."
© Photo: RexDan Aykroyd and Carrie Fisher fell in love on the set of The Blue Brothers
Dan, 64, said the pair were so in love that after they had "obtained blood tests for compatibility from an East Indian female doctor", they decided to get engaged.
The Ghostbusters star bought Carrie a sapphire ring, and she in turn gifted him a "Donald Roller Wilson oil painting of a monkey in a blue dress next to a tiny floating pencil, which I kept for years until it began to frighten my children".
Carrie starred as the deranged girlfriend of John Belushi's character in the movie
Describing Carrie as "one of the most brilliant and hilarious minds of our eon", Dan also shared a few choice memories from their romance. "Carrie would say things like, 'I love tiny babies. When they cry they turn red and look like screaming tomatoes'," he shared. Another memorable quip became a permanent nickname, when Carrie told Dan, "You have a jawline, hold your chin up otherwise you looked like a tuna." From that moment on, he answered the phone as 'Tuna neck'.
Dan also recalled how Carrie's family, including mum Debbie Reynolds, welcomed him with open arms. "I was embraced in warmly human and Hollywood-glamorous emotional comfort, elegance and excitement," he stated.
© Photo: Getty ImagesCarrie later ended up marrying Paul Simon, although they split less than a year later
The couple's relationship came to an end in 1980 while the pair were spending the weekend at Martha's Vineyard with John and Judy Belushi. They spent the night in a "fixer-upper" home Judy had purchased for Dan on the island. "Carrie said, 'It looks like it was abandoned by Fred and Wilma Flintstone'," Dan recalled. "The next morning she asked me to drive her to the airport and she flew to New York.
"Architectural reservations notwithstanding, Carrie wasn't shallow, we had a great time. She was also in love with Paul Simon. She married him but I hope she kept my ring."
© Photo: Getty ImagesDan has been married to Donna Dixon since 1983
Following the end of her relationship with Dan, Carrie reconnected with Paul, whom she had dated before romancing her Blues Brothers co-star. Carrie and Paul married three years later, but split less than 12 months after tying the knot. Carrie later dated talent agent Bryan Lorde, father of her daughter Billie Lourd.
Dan, meanwhile, married wife Donna Dixon in 1983, and the couple share three daughters, Danielle, 27, Belle, 23, and 18-year-old Stella.
