A “belated but pretty awesome†celebration of the lives of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher occurred yesterday in Los Angeles, with a public memorial held to honor the legacies of the fearless mother and daughter duo. One of the speakers, Fisher’s former fiancé Dan Aykroyd, took to the podium to once again honor one of his favorite ladies in a very Aykrodian way: with humor. “Firstly, I feel responsible in part myself for why Carrie is not with us today because I once saved her life applying the Heimlich to dislodge a Brussels sprout,†he shared, according to People. “If I had been with our beloved showboat I might have been able to save her again.†Aykroyd also explained that the two were seriously considering having children together, but Paul Simon swooped in and ruined their plans (god damnit Paul):
She had long conversations on the phone in my presence with Paul Simon, with whom she was attempting to reconcile at the time of my relationship with her. Here I found myself in love with a woman who was returning to a former intimate, and might I say a much better choice. But a woman who confided deeply in me and who valued my counsel … Throughout the process of her decision to not marry me and wed another, the reward for my unwavering support in whatever decision she wanted to do was the time I had with her as a trusted friend and fellow night hawk.
Despite growing apart romantically, the two had remained on very friendly terms in the decades since.