Lucille Ball Was Devastated When This ‘I Love Lucy’ Co-Star Passed Away

By Tiffany Aaron

on Dec 01, 2021

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CBS Television Publicity Photo

Known to the world as Ethel, Vivian Vance didn’t just play Lucille Ball’s best friend in I Love Lucy — the two were also incredibly close in real life.

Sadly, Vance was diagnosed with breast cancer that eventually turned into bone cancer, and her condition was deemed terminal in 1979. Ball went to visit Vance and say her goodbyes.

Paige Peterson was a close friend of Vance and was present when Vance and the comedy icon said their goodbyes. Of their final meeting, Peterson told PEOPLE, “You could hear them laughing, and towards the end there was a lot of sobbing. It was an amazing thing to witness. The love of these two women.”

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Peterson went on to say that she felt like Vance was finished after her meeting with Ball. “We had brought Viv down and she was lying on the couch in the living room – they ate lunch and they talked and talked. The pain on her face shook me to my core. She was in tears. She couldn’t speak. I think Viv gave up after that.”

Ball passed away ten years later, and many like to think that the two are now laughing it up together in the skies above.

Watch the two good friends interact in a 1975 interview below.

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About the Author

Tiffany Aaron

Hello! My name is Tiffany. I’ve worked as a content marketing specialist since 2014 and took on the role of Editor-in-Chief for Country Rebel in 2023. I love to write stories about music and the people who make it. I find joy in writing about topics that will educate, entertain, and bring smiles to readers'…

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