What Did Lucille Ball Say When Desi Died?

It was the end of an era when the world lost Desi Arnaz, husband to Lucille Ball both in real life and on their iconic sitcom, "I Love Lucy." The famous TV duo spent six seasons playing spouses Lucy and Ricky Ricardo on the beloved show from 1951 to 1957, while behind the scenes they were a real married couple raising their two children, daughter Lucie and son Desi Jr. After 20 years of marriage, Ball and Arnaz ultimately wound up getting divorced in 1960. They remained friendly while they both went on to marry other people, but the deep bond they shared would never be replicated.

There are many things you probably never knew about Ball and "I Love Lucy," but the profound real-life connection between her and Arnaz was plain to see. Even after their divorce, Ball and Arnaz's love for each other lasted right up to the end. After Arnaz was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1986, Ball had one final conversation with her former husband before his death, which their daughter Lucie recounted in a 2022 interview with People. 

While describing the last phone call between her parents, Lucie said, "I could hear her say, 'I love you.' She said it five times in a row. And he was nodding and saying, 'I love you too, honey.'" Arnaz died just two days later on December 2, 1989. "None of us realized it at the time but the day they last spoke was [November] 30, their wedding anniversary," Lucie said.

Of everything Lucille Ball's co-stars have said about her, nothing can compare to the final words Desi Arnaz had for his former wife. Just five days after his death, Arnaz's last words for Ball revealed his undying love for her. While she was being honored at the 9th Annual Kennedy Center Honors on December 7, 1986, a letter written by Arnaz before his death was read on stage by Robert Stack. In it, Arnaz wrote: "'I Love Lucy' had just one mission: to make people laugh. 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.'" Arnaz continued, "Lucy was the show. Viv, Fred and I were just props, damn good props, but props nevertheless."

Arnaz's posthumous message ended with the line: "P.S. 'I Love Lucy' was never just a title." In videos from the ceremony, the audience can be seen erupting into applause after the moving tribute, while Ball — who was seated next to her second husband, Gary Morton — appeared to hold back her tears. Ball, whose life included some tragic details, died just over two years after Arnaz's death. She died from complications of a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm on April 26, 1989 at the age of 77.