Dan Aykroyd Honors Former Fiancée Carrie Fisher: 'I Hope She Kept My Ring'

Carrie Fisher was beloved by many, but she was only married once -- to musician Paul Simon. They dated off and on from 1977 to 1983, then were married from 1983-1984, and dated again after the divorce. Before her marriage, though, Fisher was briefly engaged to Dan Aykroyd.

Aykroyd and Fisher met at "Saturday Night Live" (which she hosted in 1978), then worked together on the 1980 comedy classic "The Blues Brothers."

Fisher died in late December 2016 at age 60, and Empire magazine is honoring her with a 24-page farewell in its March issue, including tributes from people who knew her well, including Dan Aykroyd.

Here's an excerpt from his beautiful tribute to "one of the most brilliant and hilarious minds of our eon":

"I grew up as a simple Catholic kid from a government family in Hull, Quebec, so you can imagine how much of a privilege and honour it was for me to have known this one-off, broke-the-mould woman as a great friend. When we were both in our twenties, Carrie and I associated as intimates, occasionally co-habiting in her New York apartment, Hollywood Cottage and Debbie's [Reynolds] house.

I met Carrie at Saturday Night Live. 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, which I knew to apologise for. Carrie had the most refined eye for art and design.

While in Chicago we obtained blood tests for compatibility from an East Indian female doctor. Contemplating marriage, I gave Carrie a sapphire ring and subsequently in the romance she gave me 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. One of the most brilliant and hilarious minds of our eon, Carrie would say things like: "I love tiny babies. When they cry they turn red and look like screaming tomatoes." OR "This romance is finished the second you let out even a threep. I'll be sick for a year." AND "You have a jawline, hold your chin up otherwise you look like a tuna." From then on I would identify myself on the phone as Tuna Neck.

[...] The romantic relationship ended the weekend of our final evacuation from Chicago by Lear 24 with Judy and John Belushi to our homes in Martha's Vineyard. It was night. Judy and John went home. Carrie and I went home to a house which Judy had purchased for me but unseen by me until the moment of our arrival. It was a fixer-upper, mid-century oil-guzzler, albeit designed by Hideo Sasaki. Carrie said, "It looks like it was abandoned by Fred and Wilma Flintstone." 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."

Read the full tribute. We hope she kept the sapphire ring, too, but what happened to that oil painting of the monkey in the blue dress?

Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, died within one day of each other -- the "Star Wars" icon on Dec. 27, then the "Singin' in the Rain" legend on Dec. 28 at age 84, after suffering a stroke.

[via: Empire]

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