Cathy Evelyn Smith (born 1948 in
HamiltonHamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
,
OntarioOntario is a province located in east-central Canada, the largest by population and second largest, after Quebec, in total area. Ontario is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba to the west and Quebec to the east, and 5 U.S...
) is a former backup singer and
rockRock music is a genre of popular music that entered the mainstream in the 1960s. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country music and also drew on folk music, jazz and classical music....
star
girlfriendGirlfriend is a term that can refer to either a female partner in a non-marital romantic relationship or a female non-intimate friend that is closer than other friends....
,
groupieA groupie is a person who seeks sexual and/or emotional intimacy with a celebrity or other authority figure. "Groupie" is derived from group in reference to a musical group, but now has more general application.- Musical groupies :...
and drug dealer, who served time in the
California state prison system for the manslaughter of
John BelushiJohn Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician notable for his work on Saturday Night Live, National Lampoon's Animal House, and The Blues Brothers...
in 1982. Smith had been paid for a front page headline story in the Hollywood
tabloidA tabloid is an industry term for a smaller newspaper format per spread; to a weekly or semi-weekly alternative newspaper that focuses on local-interest stories and entertainment, often distributed free of charge ; or to a newspaper that tends to sensationalize and emphasize or exaggerate or...
the
National Enquirer, where she stated she was the person who injected the actor with a fatal drug overdose. In 1984, Smith co-authored a book entitled
Chasing the Dragon which told her life story. The title is an allusion to Smith's heroin addiction. Smith appeared prominently in the
Bob WoodwardRobert Upshur "Bob" Woodward is regarded as one of America's preeminent investigative reporters and non-fiction authors. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor of the Post...
book
Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John BelushiWired : The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi, is a 1984 non-fiction book by American journalist Bob Woodward about the American actor and comedian John Belushi....
, and was played by
Patti D'ArbanvillePatricia "Patti" D'Arbanville is an American actress and former model.-Early life:D'Arbanville, born May 25, 1951 in New York City, New York, is the daughter of Jean , an artist, and George D'Arbanville, a bartender. D'Arbanville attended PS 41 on Eleventh Street...
in the
film versionWired is a 1989 film biography of John Belushi directed by Larry Peerce, adapted from the book Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi . It starred Michael Chiklis as Belushi in his film debut...
. She has been called a backup singer but has also been described as merely a
groupieA groupie is a person who seeks sexual and/or emotional intimacy with a celebrity or other authority figure. "Groupie" is derived from group in reference to a musical group, but now has more general application.- Musical groupies :...
.
Levon Helm & The Band
Smith became notorious in the Belushi case, but her association with well-known performers goes back at least twenty years prior to her confession in the
National Enquirer. Her earliest association was with
Levon HelmMark Lavon Helm , better known as Levon Helm, is an American rock musician and actor most famous as the drummer for the rock group The Band...
, later a member of
The BandThe Band was a rock music group active from 1967 to 1976 and again from 1983 to 1999. The original group consisted of four Canadians: Robbie Robertson ; Richard Manuel ; Garth Hudson ; and Rick Danko , and...
in 1963. In Helm's autobiography, he recalls that Smith first met him in
Hamilton, OntarioHamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
. Helm, with friend and bandmate
Rick DankoRichard Clare "Rick" Danko was a Canadian musician and singer, best known as a member of The Band.-Early years :...
, was in a band called The Hawks at the time (see
Ronnie HawkinsRonald "Ronnie" Hawkins is a rock and roll musician. He is a cousin to fellow rockabilly artist Dale Hawkins. Known as "Rompin' Ronnie" Hawkins or "The Hawk," he was a key player in the 1960s rock scene in Toronto, Canada and his career has spanned 50 years. During that time, Hawkins has performed...
). At one point, the musicians were in Toronto facing a drug bust.
Smith has been connected to The Band's famous song, "
The Weight"The Weight" is a 1968 song by The Band. The song appears originally on The Band's first album, Music from Big Pink."The Weight" is one of the group's best known songs and among the most popular songs of the late 1960s counterculture. However, the song was not a significant mainstream hit for The...
," released in 1968. Smith says in
Rock and Roll Toronto: From Alanis to Zeppelin, that
Richard ManuelRichard George Manuel was a Canadian composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his contributions and membership in The Band.- Early life :...
offered to marry her but she refused. Nevertheless, she continued to tour and party with Helm,
Rick DankoRichard Clare "Rick" Danko was a Canadian musician and singer, best known as a member of The Band.-Early years :...
and Manuel through the 1960s. She later had an affair with
Gordon LightfootGordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr., CC, O.Ont is a Canadian singer and songwriter who has achieved international success in folk, country, and popular music...
. After the affair ended, Smith returned to Levon Helm and the circle who now comprised The Band.
Gordon Lightfoot
Smith became an employee and then
mistressA mistress is a man's long-term female lover and companion who is not married to him, especially used when the man is married to another woman. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
of Canadian singer-songwriter
Gordon LightfootGordon Meredith Lightfoot, Jr., CC, O.Ont is a Canadian singer and songwriter who has achieved international success in folk, country, and popular music...
in the early-to-mid 1970s. At one point, she even drove the tour bus. Smith sang backup on Lightfoot's song "High and Dry" which was on the
Sundown album. She apparently sang more backup on the album but Lightfoot mixed most of it out.
By several accounts, the Smith-Lightfoot affair was volatile and illustrated in the lyrics of "Sundown," Lightfoot's only Number One hit and his most financially lucrative song. It reflects the dark feelings Lightfoot was experiencing at the time. Drinking too much and married to another woman, he on one occasion broke Smith's cheekbone in a fight. Lightfoot has stated of his three-year relationship with Smith, "I was sometimes crazy with jealousy."
Bluegrass musicians Bruce and Brian Good,
The Good BrothersThe Good Brothers are a Canadian country, bluegrass and folk music group originating from Richmond Hill, Ontario. The band's core members are Brian Good , his twin brother Bruce Good and younger brother Larry Good ....
, who were one of Lightfoot's opening acts during that time, got fired by Lightfoot for "flirting" with Smith. Smith was cited in divorce papers, and shortly after his affair with Smith ended, Lightfoot was a party to the most expensive divorce settlement in Canadian history to that date.
In a 1975 interview, Lightfoot expanded upon
Sundown and hinted at the worry he experienced in his relationship with Smith:
All it is, is a thought about a situation where someone is wondering what his loved one is doing at the moment. He doesn't quite know where she is. He's not ready to give up on her, either, and that's about all I got to say about that."
Lightfoot gave another insight into his relationship with Smith in a 2000 interview when he remarked upon "Sundown" being:
"a back-alley kind of tune. It's based on infidelity -- I've seen both sides of that."
Belushi case
After Lightfoot and The Band, around 1976 Smith became a backup singer for
Hoyt AxtonHoyt Wayne Axton was an American country music singer-songwriter, and a film and television actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voice. As he matured, some of his songwriting efforts became well...
, who was struggling with cocaine addiction at the time. She sang on his song "Fearless" (1976) and co-wrote "Flash of Fire" with Axton (1976)..
Smith became involved with heroin use in the late 1970s. In Bob Woodward's
Wired, she appears as a drug dealer to Rolling Stones band members
Ron WoodRonald David "Ronnie" Wood is an English rock guitarist and bassist best known as a member of The Rolling Stones and Faces.-1960s:...
and
Keith RichardsKeith Richards is an English guitarist, songwriter, singer, record producer and a founding member of The Rolling Stones. As a guitarist, Richards is mostly known for his innovative rhythm playing. In 2003 he was ranked 10th on Rolling Stone magazine's "Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists of...
during their touring and rehearsals as the
The New BarbariansThe New Barbarians were a rock band that played two concerts in Canada and eighteen shows across the United States in April and May 1979; in August 1979, the band also supported Led Zeppelin at the Knebworth Festival 1979....
. She moved to
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
and as her addiction increased she became a full-time drug dealer and courier to Wood, Richards and others in the entertainment world. Smith first met comedian
John BelushiJohn Adam Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician notable for his work on Saturday Night Live, National Lampoon's Animal House, and The Blues Brothers...
on the set of
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a weekly late-night sketch comedy and variety show filmed in New York City. It made its debut on October 11, 1975, under a slightly different title. The show features a regular cast of comedy actors, joined by a guest host and musical act...
in 1976 when The Band were the musical guests.
She later met Belushi again through Wood and Richards and was contacted by Belushi to purchase the drugs that eventually killed him. Smith alleges that she injected Belushi with eleven
speedballsSpeedballing is a term commonly referring to the intravenous use of heroin or morphine and cocaine together in the same syringe. The combination is also known as moonrocks when smoked...
(a combination of cocaine and heroin) at the Chateau Marmont in
Los AngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the municipality of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123.445 inhabitants...
in 1982, and that this injection led to his death. According to Woodward,
Robin WilliamsRobin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian.Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
was on the scene at the time, and was "creeped out" by Smith, whom he thought to be a "lowlife." Belushi had been battling a major cocaine addiction for years. He was not a heroin addict though he had used the drug infrequently before his death.
Released after initial questioning on the morning of Belushi's overdose, Smith spoke briefly to freelance writer Chris Van Ness. Then, two
National Enquirer reporters, Tony Brenna and Larry Haley, spoke with her and published their lengthy in-person interviews with her under the headline: "I killed John Belushi. I didn't mean to, but I am responsible". This led to the charge against Smith in Belushi's murder and 13 counts of administering cocaine and heroin. The
National Enquirer reporters refused to testify at the subsequent trial and were threatened with incarceration by Judge Brian Crahan; however, he later vacated the contempt order.
Smith eventually returned to the United States, in June 1986 where she accepted a
plea bargainA plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case where by the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain gives criminal defendants the...
by "plead[ing] guilty to involuntary
manslaughterManslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder.The law generally differentiates between levels of criminal culpability based on the mens rea, or state of mind...
and several drug charges." She served 15 months in prison at
California Institution for WomenCalifornia Institution for Women is a female-only state prison located in the city of Chino, San Bernardino County, California.-Facilities:...
between December 1986 and March 1988. She was deported to Canada after release and moved to Toronto "where she worked as a legal secretary and spoke to teenagers about the dangers of drugs."
Smith was arrested in July 1991 "with two grams of heroin in her purse" in
VancouverVancouver is a coastal city and major seaport located in the Lower Mainland of southwestern British Columbia, Canada. The city is bounded by English Bay, Burrard Inlet, the Fraser River, the city of Burnaby, and the University Endowment Lands. Vancouver is named after Captain George Vancouver, a...
,
British ColumbiaBritish Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is famed for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . In 1871, it became the sixth province of Canada.The capital of British Columbia is Victoria, the 15th largest metropolitan region in Canada...
, for which she received a fine of $2000 and "12 months' probation." She appeared in the
E!E!: Entertainment Television is an American cable television and direct broadcast satellite network. From November 2006 onwards, it became wholly owned by Comcast.- History :...
television network show
True Hollywood StoryE! True Hollywood Story is a TV documentary series on the E! Entertainment Television cable and DBS channel that deals with famous Hollywood celebrities, movies, TV shows and well-known public figures...
episode on Belushi's death which first aired in 1998.