Although Arnaz used the shortened version of his name, Desi, as a stage name, at the time of his induction into the US Army Arnaz was enlisted as Desiderio Alberto Arnaz. It wasn't until Arnaz became a naturalized citizen in 1943, that he opted to have his name officially changed to Desi Arnaz.
Desi Arnaz came to the United States as a result of upheaval in Cuba, the same as every other immigrant that came to Florida through the years. Unlike, most of the immigrants that come to the US, he had money and opportunity even though he was simply another immigrant in a foreign country.
Arnaz appeared in several movies such as Bataan in 1943, up until he received his draft notice. Before reporting he injured his knee and was classified for limited service in the United States Army during World War II while he completed his recruit training.
His maternal grandfather was Alberto de Acha, an executive at rum producer Bacardi & Co. A descendant of Cuban nobility, Arnaz was a great-great-great-grandson of José Joaquín. The Cuban Revolution of 1933 forced Arnaz and his family to lose everything and flee Cuba.
Arnaz was born into a prominent Cuban family. His father served as mayor of Santiago, and his maternal grandfather helped found the Bacardi rum company. Following political unrest in 1933, the family was forced to flee to Miami.
🇺🇸 ”Thank You America!” - Desi Arnaz (Toast Of The Town: Oct. 1954) 🇺🇸
Did Desi Arnaz have a child at 15?
Arnaz has a daughter, Julia Arnaz, from a relationship with model Susan Callahan-Howe in 1968 when they were both 15 years old; Julia's relationship to Desi Jr. was proven by a paternity test in 1991.
Arnaz lived comfortably as a child until his family was forced out of Cuba after the 1933 revolution. Arnaz arrived in Miami at 16 in 1934 and started working odd jobs, such as cleaning bird cages, to make ends meet.
Lucy filed for divorce in 1944, over issues with Desi's heavy drinking and cheating, according to People. Desi was also gone a lot on tour and, when he was home, he would be out late while Lucy had to be up early for work.
Arnaz's doctor, Charles Campbell, also confirmed to The Los Angeles Times at the time that the actor died from lung cancer caused by his history of smoking. “It was from smoking those Cuban cigars; that's the truth,” he said.
Desi Arnaz—whom she divorced in May 1960—was worth $20 million at the time of his death, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Arnaz, a regular cigarette smoker, died three years before Ball on December 2, 1986, from lung cancer.
Desi Arnaz was 69 years old he had been suffering from lung cancer for several years Arnaz and Lucille Ball divorced in 1960. their two children desi jr. and Lucy Lucy was with her father when he died early this morning.
Arnaz's own politician father Desiderio Alberto Arnaz y Alberni II was Mayor of Santiago de Cuba from 1923-1932, and Arnaz's mother Dolores “Lolita” de Acha y de Socias had been the daughter to Alberto de Acha, an executive and founding member of the Bacardi Rum Company in Cuba.
They both also lied about their ages on the certificates to make the age gap between them a year, instead of the actual six. Lucy claimed to be 26, and Desi bumped his age up to 25, even though he was only 23 at the time.
He was known for his generosity and kindness towards others, and was beloved by many who knew him. Overall, while zodiac signs are not definitive or absolute, Pisces traits can be seen in Arnaz's personality and career. He embodied the creativity, sensitivity, and compassion that are hallmarks of this sign.
Lucille had an estimated net worth of $60 million at the time of her death at age 77 in 1989, according to Celebrity Net Worth. The Emmy winner, born to Henry Durrell "Had" Ball and Désirée Evelyn "DeDe" Ball in 1911, earned her first credited acting role in 1935's I Dream Too Much.
That takes incredible amount of courage." Sadly, Arnaz found out he had lung cancer shortly after getting sober. He died a year later in December 1986 at age 69.
Eventually, Philip Morris, the famed cigarette company, agreed to sponsor the show. There was one big problem, though. Ball, a heavy smoker, had a preferred brand of cigarettes, and Philip Morris wasn't it. I Love Lucy quickly became a hit.
Though Ball and Arnaz's marriage ended in a bitter divorce back in 1960, their "unconditional love for each other" lasted and "never went away," Lucie recalls: "There was forgiveness.
Arnaz, for his part, remarried with his neighbor, Edith Hirsch, 1963 until his death in 1985. Despite their dramatic divorce, Arnaz and Ball remained friends until their deaths.
They found that he was funny as well as handsome. That he was dynamite on stage, even more than in a nightclub, and the show was an enormous hit. RKO bought the rights, George Abbott directed it and it really help Desi become a star.
They weren't your typical Hollywood couple: Ball was nearly six years older than her husband (a gap so taboo at the time that she reportedly lied about her birth year on their marriage certificate); Arnaz was Cuban. (Bear in mind: This was the '50s.)
Ball was born to Henry Durrell Ball (September 16, 1887 – February 19, 1915) and Desiree "DeDe" Evelyn Hunt (September 21, 1892 – July 20, 1977) in Jamestown, New York. Her family was Baptist. She was of French, Scottish, English, and Irish ancestry.
