Person · Female

Cathy Smith

Canadian backing vocalist

From: Hamilton, Canada
Active: 1947–2020
Releases: 0

About

Catherine Evelyn Smith (April 25, 1947 – August 16, 2020), also known as Silverbag, was a Canadian backup singer, groupie, drug dealer, and legal secretary. Smith served 15 months in the California Institution for Women for injecting actor John Belushi with a fatal dose of heroin and cocaine in 1982.

Smith had been paid for a front-page headline story in the Hollywood tabloid the National Enquirer, where she stated she was the person who injected Belushi with a fatal drug overdose. Smith co-wrote the book Chasing the Dragon (1984) which told her life story; its title alludes to Smith's heroin addiction. Smith appeared prominently in the Bob Woodward book Wired: The Short Life and Fast Times of John Belushi (1984) and was played by Patti D'Arbanville in the 1989 film adaptation.

From Cathy Smith on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Reference

Involved with

Also known as

Catherine Evelyn Smith

Identifiers

MusicBrainz: 67ca12bf-5e98-453f-bba6-160a1f4dcddd
ISNI: 000000007895477X
IPI: 00039403490

Data from MusicBrainz, saved 13 Nov 2026. Photo from Wikimedia Commons, covers from the Cover Art Archive and Apple Music.