Arnaz died in 1986, with Ball following three years later in 1989. But what is sweet about their relationship is that the two would always compliment one another and give the other credit. Arnaz would say the series belonged to Ball, and she would say his genius helped make it a reality. And with Arnaz’s final public comments on Ball, he made that point just as clear. At Ball’s Kennedy Center Honors ceremony on December 7, 1986, five days after his death, he spoke about how I Love Lucy was Ball’s.
Robert Stack read a letter that Arnaz wrote on his deathbed about Ball. “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 letter began. “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 wrote, “Lucy was the show. Viv, Fred and I were just props, damn good props, but props nevertheless. P.S. I Love Lucy was never just a title.”
It Was a Perfect Look Into Who Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Were
