In 1986, Desi Arnaz died of Lung Cancer in his Del Mar home, which he had received in the divorce decree 27 years earlier. Director William Asher shared a story with Palm Springs Life that best illustrates the heart and soul of the union between the famous comedienne and her hot blooded Cuban lover.
“She visited him in Del Mar a week before he died,” Asher reveals. “By this time his ailments included emphysemia and the colostomy he’d had for a couple of years. Desi was out of it, disoriented. When it came time for Lucy to leave, Desi said, ‘Where are you going?’ “I’m going home,” Lucy responded. “You are home,” Desi said. So, Lucy stayed a while longer.
“Lucy told me this at Desi’s funeral in Del Mar,” says Asher. They had a love that was lasting in spite of their differences.