Where are Lucille Ball's children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr now? Both starred in 'Here's Lucy' with mom
Lucille Ball remains one of the biggest names in television, more than three decades after her death in 1989. Ball was best known for her role in 'I Love Lucy', which she also produced and acted alongside her first husband, Desi Arnaz, the first person of color to play a male lead on American television. She was also the first woman to run a major television studio, Desilu Productions, which produced many popular television series including 'Mission: Impossible' and 'Star Trek'.
A new special from Reelz, 'Lucille Ball: Death, Life & Money' takes a look at the fight that broke out for the inheritance of Ball's precious items. After she died, her estate was split among her two children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr and her second husband, Gary Morton. Morton later married pro golfer Susie McAllister after Ball's death and when he died, he left Ball's personal items to McAllister. McAllister then put the items up for auction for hefty amounts. This brought about a full-out estate war between McAllister and Ball's children as Ball's heirs fought to get back her precious items including jewelry, lifetime achievement awards, and love letters.
Who are Lucille Ball's children?
Ball's children gained prominence in television as well as the American public's life because of how endearing Ball was and because they often appeared on their mother's shows. Desi Jr was once referred to as "Lucy's $50,000,000 baby" when he appeared on the cover of TV Guide. Ball's pregnancy with Desi Jr was reflected in her character, Lucy Ricardo in 'I Love Lucy' -- a major step forward for women in television.
When Ball gave birth to Desi Jr, Lucy gave birth to her son on the same day. While Ball was alive, Desi Jr also raised tabloid interest because his mother, Ball, disapproved of his famous girlfriends, Patty Duke and then Liza Minelli. Curiously, both women won awards and he accompanied them to the Emmy Awards and the Academy Awards respectively.
Lucie had many walk-on roles on her mother's shows and played her onscreen daughter on 'Here's Lucy', which also starred her brother, Desi Jr. In her twenties, Lucie began to branch out into roles independent of her family and went on to bag roles in 'Who Is the Black Dahlia?', 'Law & Order', and 'Murder She Wrote'. In 1993, she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Information Special for her documentary on her parents, 'Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie'.
Lucie has been instrumental in preserving her mother's legacy. She was once the president of the board of directors of the Lucille Ball-Desi Arnaz Center in Jamestown, New York. She gave the history behind the Lucy-Desi Museum and Lucy-Desi Playhouse, and the 2011 birthday centenary for Lucille Ball.
Where are Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr now?
While Lucie continues to preserve Ball's legacy, her brother, Desi Jr has stayed away from the limelight. In 2005, it was revealed that he was stepping away from the spotlight for his "sanity." He is currently based in Nevada, where he moved to seek a different lifestyle. In 2015, his wife, Linda Purl died of cancer at the age of 63. In 2020, his great-granddaughter Desiree Anzalone died of breast cancer at the age of 31.
Lucie has continued to keep busy during the pandemic, volunteering and working on Broadway. She is also working with Aaron Sorkin on a movie about her parents produced by Amazon Studios, as well as with Ron Howard who is working on a documentary on her parents.
'Lucille Ball: Life, Death & Money' premieres on Reelz on Monday, January 25 at 10 pm ET.