Where did TV legend Lucille Ball's money go after she died?
And how did her personal letters wind up in the hands of a pro golfer? Let's find out.
Although she is perhaps best known today for her groundbreaking sitcom series "I Love Lucy,"
there's plenty more to say about comedy icon Lucille Ball. Thanks to Desilu Productions,
she was also the first woman to run a major Hollywood studio. Alongside her husband Desi
Arnaz, she broke ground by depicting one of the first interracial couples on television.
Ball and Arnaz first met on a film set back in 1940 and eloped soon after. Years later,
when CBS approached her about developing her own show, she wouldn't do it unless
Arnaz played her on-screen husband. The network reluctantly agreed, and a sitcom legend was born.
However, the union between Ball and Arnaz did not last. Though "I Love Lucy" shows otherwise,
the pair's relationship was filled with infidelity and drinking on his part.
When their TV relationship had run its course, they divorced in 1960, putting an end to 20
tumultuous years of marriage. Ball cited extreme cruelty and mental suffering as the cause.
But despite their divorce and subsequent new partners, Ball and Arnaz remained close.
She went on to marry comedian Gary Morton in 1961, and they stayed together until her death in 1989.
After struggling with fertility issues in the 1940s, Ball and Arnaz eventually had two children
together. She gave birth to their daughter Lucie in 1951 and their son Desi Jr. in 1953. In fact,
her pregnancy with her son was even written into "I Love Lucy." According to "Time Magazine," the
network was initially against the idea, however, by excluding the word "pregnancy" from the
storyline, Ball and Arnaz were eventually allowed to incorporate it into the script.
“I heard you sing a number called ‘we’re having a baby, my baby and me.’
If you will sing it for us now, it will be my way of breaking the news to him.”
Her son was born on the same day that the birth episode of "I Love Lucy" aired on CBS.
But what was the iconic redhead like as a mother? In an interview with "KCRW" in 2021,
Lucie Arnaz said that her mom was always struggling to find ways to relate to her
own kids. And of course, by the time she had children, Ball was already in
her 40s — not to mention she was a successful and extremely busy entertainment personality.
Lucie Arnaz also noted in her conversation with “KCRW” that her mother went so far as
to ask other celebrities, including Debbie Reynolds, for parenting advice. She believes
that Ball didn’t know how to be a parent since her own father had died when she was 4
and her mother, who worked to support the family, was gone most of the day.
She described her mother as, quote, "flying blind" when it came to parenting. In another interview
with "WTOP," Lucie Arnaz stressed that, while both she and her brother had a luxurious childhood,
what they really wanted was more time with their working parents. Despite this,
she emphasized that her folks truly loved each other and were creative geniuses.
Lucille Ball was 77 when she died of a ruptured aorta on April 27,
1989, leaving behind an estate worth an estimated $40 million.
The inheritance was split among her two children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr.,
and her second husband, Gary Morton. Seven years after Ball's death, Morton went on to marry a
professional golfer named Susie McAllister. That marriage, however, was short-lived, as
he died three years later. With Morton gone, his portion of Ball's inheritance went to McAllister.
In 2010, more than a decade after Morton's death, Heritage Auctions announced that McAllister was
parting ways with Ball's estate items because she was remodeling her home. Some of those
items included jewelry, awards, love letters, art, and even a Rolls Royce. This, of course,
did not sit well with Ball's children, especially Lucie Arnaz, who threatened legal action to stop
the auction. McAllister responded by filing a suit. According to “Danielle & Andy Mayoras,”
the judge ruled he would stop the sale only if Arnaz could post a $250,000 bond. She did
not have the money, however, Heritage Auctions later agreed to return Ball's awards to Arnaz,
who planned to donate them to a museum. McAllister went on to sell the rest of the items,
including the love letters and the car. They reportedly brought in over $230,000.
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