Lucille Ball has millions of fans all over the world, and those probably include her own five grandchildren. Ball, who died in 1989 at 77 years old, put together an interesting career ranging from Broadway to television shows. I Love Lucy established Ball as the “queen of comedy” along with her then-husband, Desi Arnaz.
Lucie Arnaz, the couple’s first child, gave Lucille Ball three grandchildren with her second husband, Laurence Luckinbill. They are Simon, Joseph, and Katharine. Desi Arnaz Jr. has two children. His first, Julia, came by way of his then-girlfriend, Susan Callahan-Howe. Arnaz’s second child is named Haley. She was born from his relationship with his late wife, Amy Laura Bargiel. Amy died in 2015 at 63 years old. Julia had a child named Desiree Anzalone, who died from breast cancer in 2020 at 31 years old.
Lucille Ball’s Grandchildren Reflect on Life With Lucy
In an interview with Closer, Katharine, who goes by “Kate,” offered up some sweet memories of hanging with Grandma Lucy. “My grandmother was a regular girl from upstate New York,” she told Closer in May 2019. “She didn’t set out to be anyone’s icon.”
Katharine also recalled a time when she didn’t have to share Lucille Ball’s attention with the other grandchildren. “I remember her giving me these incredible bubble baths,” she said, according to Yahoo. “She loved to wrap me up in towels and do my hair and makeup. She’d dress me in these silk pajamas and let me take a nap on her California king-size bed — it was just the most expansive, largest thing I’d ever seen in my life!”
When she was not in front of an audience or working on her TV shows, Ball reportedly enjoyed time at home. She and Arnaz had homes in Los Angeles and Palm Springs, where they could get away for a little more privacy.
Ball and Arnaz followed their time on I Love Lucy with The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour. The show became a series of specials between 1957 and 1960. Ball, Arnaz, Vivian Vance, and William Frawley were involved in the hour-long show, too.
Ball, Desi Arnaz Kept Busy After Divorce
In 1960, Lucille Ball divorced Desi Arnaz. It ended a powerful couple’s life together, but they would go on with their lives. Ball eventually would take over Desilu Studios in 1962, where shows like Star Trek, The Untouchables, and Mannix were filmed. She also married comedian Gary Morton in 1961 and they remained together until Ball’s death.
Lucy also returned to television with The Lucy Show and Here’s Lucy, both of which aired on CBS. Lucie and Desi Jr. were Ball’s co-stars on this show, along with longtime foil Gale Gordon. Her last series, Life with Lucy, was not well received by viewers. ABC, after a few episodes, decided to cancel the show.
Arnaz went on to form Desi Arnaz Productions. He helped get Eve Arden and Kaye Ballard on TV in The Mothers-in-Law, which ran two seasons on NBC.
In 1986, Ball was one of the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors. A touching moment happened when Robert Stack read a message from Desi, who died after a lengthy illness on December 2, 1986. It was just a few days before Lucy’s event was held on December 7. Arnaz’s note was quite touching, and cameras caught Ball’s emotional reaction. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz are still celebrated by their children and grandchildren to this day.
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