Although Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball went their separate ways in 1960, he always loved Lucy. And that was never more obvious than what happened after his death.
Arnaz died on December 2, 1986, at age 69. Five days later, Ball participated in the Ninth Annual Kennedy Center Honors, where she was celebrated for her legacy as an actress, comedian, producer and studio executive. It was during that event that famous actor Robert Stack read a letter onstage written by Ball’s ex-husband.
“I Love Lucy had just one mission: to make people laugh,” read the letter. “Lucy gave it a rare quality. She can perform the wildest, even the messiest, physical comedy without losing her feminine appeal. The New York Times asked me to divide the credit for its success between the writers, the directors and the cast. I told them, ‘Give Lucy 90% of the credit and divide the other 10% among the rest of us.’ ”
“Lucy was the show,” continued Arnaz’s letter, who noted that he, Vivian Vance and William Frawley (who played Ethel and Fred Mertz on the show) were “just props; damn good props, but props nevertheless.
“P.S.,” concludes Arnaz’s letter, “I Love Lucy was never just a title.”
The posthumous statement moved Ball. She was visibly emotional and was seen wiping away tears after the reading.
Ball and Arnaz married in 1940, but their two-decade personal and creative partnership was marred by marital infidelity. In the end, it got too much for Ball, and she filed for divorce on March 3, 1960. The split was finalized two months later. Despite the breakup, Ball and Arnaz remain friends. They share two children: daughter Lucie Arnaz and son Desi Arnaz Jr.
Lucy even called Desi days before his death. Their daughter told CBS Sunday Morning that she held the phone to her father’s ear, and all she could hear was Lucy saying “I love you” five times in a row. Desi responded with “I love you, too, honey. Good luck with your shows.”
Arnaz was diagnosed with lung cancer earlier in 1986 and underwent treatment. He succumbed to the disease by the end of the year. Ball will pass away on April 26, 1989, due to an abdominal aortic aneurysm. She was 77 years old.
