With his second wife, Edith, he lived in Del Mar, California. He served as a producer on such shows as The Mothers-In-Law in the late 1960s. After that, Arnaz made a few forays into television, working largely behind the scenes. He sold his share of Desilu Productions to Ball in 1963. Personal LifeĪrnaz's marriage to Ball ended in 1960. 1 show in the country for four of its six seasons. The novelty of the series, coupled with Arnaz and Ball's strong chemistry, proved to be a success. And as a couple both on and off camera, Arnaz and Ball's show had parallels to their actual marriage, giving birth to their son on the show on the same day that Ball gave birth to their son in real life. The show touched on many personal and taboo issues of the time, including marriage and pregnancy. Not only did they request the the show be shot on film as opposed to the cheaper kinescope, but they also retained full ownership of the program under their production company, Desilu Productions. Arnaz and Ball had a clear goal in mind when the series began development. In 1949, Arnaz turned his efforts to developing the hit television series I Love Lucy, which ran for six years and became the most successful television program in history. During this time he served as orchestra leader on Bob Hope's radio show from 1946 to 1947.

He formed a new orchestra after being discharged and recorded several hits during the late 1940s. During his two years in the service, he was responsible for entertaining the troops. They were married in 1940.Īrnaz made three more films before being inducted into the Army during WWII. It was there that he met his future wife, Lucille Ball. He was offered a role in the 1939 Broadway musical Too Many Girls and later starred in Hollywood's film version. It was such a hit, both locally and nationally, that Arnaz returned to New York to start his own band. Music CareerĪfter working briefly for Xavier Cugat in New York, Arnaz returned to Miami to lead a combo of his own and introduce the Conga Line to American audiences. After working a number of odd jobs to help support the family, Desi got his first musician's gig as a guitarist for the Siboney Septet. Born to a wealthy family, the Arnazes fled Cuba for Miami after a revolution in 1933. Early LifeĪctor and musician Desiderio Alberto Arnaz III was born on March 2, 1917, in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba.

In 1949, Arnaz developed the hit television series I Love Lucy, which ran for six years. Early success led to him being offered a role in the 1939 Broadway musical Too Many Girls, and he later starred in the film version, where he met his future wife, Lucille Ball. Plus, she lived with me for a while.Desi Arnaz fled Cuba to the United States with his family in 1933. I mean, I saw her, but not as much we’d hang out every day practically she was here. “So I wasn’t able to spend as much time with her as I normally do because of the COVID since March. “The COVID-19 kept us apart, so I wasn’t able to see her as much as I usually do because she was compromised and I didn’t want her getting sick in any kind of way,” Julia Arnaz told People. Her cancer returned to stage 4 in 2018.ĭue to the coronavirus pandemic, Julia Arnaz said she did not get to spend a lot of time with her daughter during her final days. After undergoing chemotherapy, Anzalone decided to get a double mastectomy. I would have loved to meet a part of me in you.”ĭesiree Anzalone was first diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer when she was 25, People reported. In April she wrote, “Celebrating the life of a legend and MY life’s most profound curiosity. “She was a talented photographer and enjoyed playing guitar with her father, singing and modeling photography,” according to her obituary.ĭesiree frequently honored her great-grandmother on Instagram, Entertainment Tonight reported.

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