Desi Arnaz Struggled With Alcoholism But Became Sober With His Son’s Help

Mar 03, 2022

Lucille Ball was one of the most beloved actresses of all time. Known for her great comedic timing and charming demeanor, Ball paved the way for many future female stars in the entertainment industry. She was best known for being an actress, comedian and model, but Ball also really made her presence known in the television industry with her work as a studio executive and producer.

Struggling to find work in New York City, Ball eventually relocated to Hollywood to fully pursue her passion and work at becoming a successful actress. It was challenging for the hopeful star to find work and get the recognition that she deserved, but she never gave up on her dreams.

Ball later skyrocketed to fame with her sitcom “I Love Lucy,” a show she both starred in and produced. She even starred in the show with her then-husband, Desi Arnaz. The series brought Ball great success and led to a series of spin-offs, helping her continue her reign as one of the best sitcom actresses of all time.

Although Ball and Arnaz are no longer with us, their memory and legacy have been carried on through their beautiful children. Both their son and daughter have followed in their famous parents’ footsteps as they have each ventured into the acting industry. Today, both Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. are grown and are very involved in the entertainment industry in multiple ways. More importantly, they are still doing their parents’ namesakes justice.

In February 2022, Lucie opened up about her father’s journey to sobriety and shared that her brother, Desi Jr., was a major factor in encouraging him to seek help. Keep reading to learn more about Lucie and Desi Jr., and their dad’s experience getting sober before he passed away.

Being born into a family with such busy and famous parents, it’s no surprise that Lucie and Desi Jr. both decided to enter the entertainment industry. They were even featured on Ball’s most notable series, and to this day are still carrying on their parents’ legacy. Lucie was born on July 17, 1951, six months before the premiere of “I Love Lucy,” according to Stylecaster. Desi Jr. was born on Jan. 19, 1953, and his birth became a part of the show’s storyline.

According to the Daily Mail, they were both a fascination of the public eye at a young age and went on to have major acting careers. Lucie even made her on-screen debut in “The Lucy Show,” a spin-off of “I Love Lucy.” She was only 11 years old at the time. She also went on to star in another spin-off, “Here’s Lucy.”

Afterward, she acted in a handful of films and television shows, including “Murder, She Wrote” and “Law & Order.” The Daily Mail reported that Lucie also landed her own talk show in 1985 called “The Lucie Arnaz Show” before embarking on a successful theater career. Lucie also guest-starred in an episode of “Will & Grace” in 2020 that had an “I Love Lucy” theme.

Lucie is currently 70 years old. She has been married twice, once to actor Philip Vandervort Menegaux and again to writer Laurence Luckinbill. She tied the knot with the latter in 1980, and the pair are currently still together. They also have three children and live in Palm Springs, California, according to the Daily Mail.

Lucie opened up in an interview with PEOPLE in February 2022 about her father’s journey to sobriety. "He resisted going into AA or any program for a long, long time. We don't air our dirty laundry in front of other people; he hated that part. But he finally did after his wife Edy died," she said. "He was just so upset that my brother convinced him, I think, 'Come on, Dad. You can do this.' And he did it. He stopped drinking."

With the encouragement from Desi Jr., their father was able to get sober a year before he passed away from lung cancer. Lucie shared:

"I was right next to him when he stood up and said, 'My name is Desi and I'm an alcoholic.' It was the proudest moment of my life to sit next to him and hear him do that. It was like, 'Okay, I don't care what you do after this. That was the best thing you've ever done.' Because that was hard for him. It's hard for everybody, but for him especially it was really hard."

Lucie said that the experience was very hard for Desi, but he did it anyway. She continued, "It was a big hurdle for him to do that, and I was very proud of him. That takes an incredible amount of courage."

Lucie also recalled: "There was forgiveness. There was understanding. There was an appreciation for that other person and what you got from that other person, regardless of the stuff that hurt that never went away. And that was beautiful and that, in and of itself, was a wonderful thing to leave us."

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