In 1979, Lucille Ball walked into the quiet home of her longtime friend, Vivian Vance, in Belvedere, California. She knew this visit would be their last. Vivian, frail from her battle with terminal cancer, sat in a chair, and the two women exchanged no words. There were no scripts, no jokes, no cameras. Just two old friends who, after decades of laughter, love, and challenges, held each other close and cried. They both knew it was time to say goodbye, even though neither of them wanted to.
Their friendship had been a special one, born on the set of I Love Lucy in 1951. Lucille was already a well-known star, fiercely protective of her creative vision. She insisted on casting Vivian as Ethel Mertz, Lucy’s sidekick, even though producers thought Vivian was too glamorous or young for the role. But Lucille’s choice turned out to be pivotal not just for their careers, but for their personal bond.
At first, Lucille and Vivian were just colleagues—respectful, but not yet close. Lucille was driven and precise, while Vivian was more spontaneous and free-spirited. But over the years, as they spent countless hours working together, they began to connect on a deeper level. Their friendship grew, and they became a real-life version of the characters they played on TV—partners in mischief, loyal and supportive of each other through thick and thin. When Vivian went through a painful divorce in the 1950s, Lucille was there to help her through it. And when Lucille’s marriage to Desi Arnaz ended in 1960, it was Vivian who offered her a shoulder to lean on.
They reunited in the 1960s for The Lucy Show, but by then, the pressures of work had taken a toll on Vivian. Tired and seeking a quieter life, she left the series, and their closeness cooled for a while. Still, they stayed in touch through letters and occasional phone calls, always holding a piece of each other in their hearts.
By the late 1970s, Vivian’s health had worsened, and Lucille reached out to her again. Their reunion in Vivian’s home was intimate, private, and quiet—no cameras or publicists, just the two of them facing the reality of the end. They didn’t talk about the past or the pain. Their final moments together were silent but filled with everything that words could never express. It was a farewell that only two women who had shared so much of their lives together could truly understand.
After Vivian passed away on August 17, 1979, Lucille didn’t make any public statements about her grief. It was more private, more personal than anyone expected. In a rare moment of reflection, Lucille confided in a friend, saying, “She was more than a friend. She was the only person I could laugh with and cry with in the same breath. Losing her is like losing a piece of myself.”
Their last hug was nothing like the scripted performances they’d given for years. It was a pure, honest moment—a final goodbye that captured the love they’d shared in a way that no television show ever could. It wasn’t staged or rehearsed. It was real, raw, and filled with love.