The Truth About Lucille Ball And Vivian Vance's Friendship

After "I Love Lucy" ended in 1957, the four main performers still appeared together on "The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour" until 1960. After that, Lucille Ball and Vivian Vance's friendship remained strong for nearly another two decades.

When Vance was dying from bone cancer in 1979, Ball visited her old co-star and partner-in-slapstick-crime to say her goodbyes. In 2020, author Paige Peterson, who was a friend of Vance's and was there for her final meeting with Ball, told People how the two bid each other farewell. 

"You could hear them laughing, and towards the end there was a lot of sobbing," Peterson said. "It was an amazing thing to witness. The love of these two women ... We had brought Viv down and she was lying on the couch in the living room. They ate lunch and they talked and talked. Viv knew she was dying."

Peterson then relayed what she saw when Ball left. "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." 

Vance died only a few days later, on Aug. 17, 1979. Ball went on to live another 10 years and died on April 26, 1989, from a ruptured aorta after open-heart surgery (via Biography).