Dan Aykroyd Pays Tribute to His Ex-Fiancée, Carrie Fisher, in an Emotional Essay

Dan Aykroyd is remembering Carrie Fisher almost a month after her death. In an essay for the upcoming farewell issue of Empire magazine, the actor opens up about his ex-fiancée and the ups and downs of their romance. "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 honor it was for me to have known this one-off, broke-the-mould woman as a great friend," he writes. He recalls meeting her on the set of Saturday Night Live and how they fell in love while filming Blues Brothers in 1980 before moving in together. Their relationship quickly became serious as they "obtained blood tests for compatibility from an East Indian female doctor" before getting engaged. "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," he says, adding that Carrie was "one of the most brilliant and hilarious minds of our eon."

Not only did he grow close with her mother, Debbie Reynolds, and her brother, Todd Fisher, during their time together, but they also had some wild adventures, as he recalls getting LSD from a friend, flying up to Reno, NV, renting a wagon, and "full-on weeping to Christmas classics" for three days. Despite all the highs in their relationship, they also faced lows. Dan opened up about their breakup in Martha's Vineyard, MA, where they were spending the weekend with friends John and Judy Belushi in a "fixer-upper" home. "The next morning she asked me to drive her to the airport and she flew to New York," he continued. "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."