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even mention the word "pregnant". Nevertheless it made headlines, even being featured on the cover of TV Guide early that year. Besides being on TV together, Lucy and Desi made two films together "The Long, Long Trailer" (1954) and "Forever, Darling" (1956). By the late 1950's, Lucy and Desi exclusively owned Desilu studios. In May 1960, after being married for nearly 20 years, they divorced.

By the early 1960's, no longer able to work with Desi, Lucille Ball had become the sole Executive Producer at Desilu Productions, becoming the first woman to do so. Following the breakup of her and Desi, Lucy became a solo performer, playing in Broadway plays such as Wildcat (1960). She made a few more movies such as "Yours, Mine and Ours" (1968) and the musical "Mame" (1974). For a time she even teamed up with her old 'Lucy' alumni Vivian Vance for "The Lucy Show", (from 1962-68) along with Gale Gordon and "Here's Lucy" (1968-74), which also starred Vance, Gordon and Lucy's real-life children. In the early 1980's she attempted to resurrect her TV career, doing a two-part "Three's Company" retrospective in 1982, for example. In 1986, she starred in a sitcom "Life with Lucy" , which tried to recapture her comedic talent of earlier decades. But what had been funny in the 50's was no longer funny by the 1980's. By the late 1980's Lucy's health was in serious decline. On April 18,1989, she was rushed to Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in California with serious chest pains. Lucille Ball died on April 26,1989 of a ruptured aorta. She was 77 years old. Lucille Ball brought a lot of laughter into American homes and abroad in the 1950's and they have never forgotten the joy she brought to so many people's hearts. Even though she has been gone for 20 years now, TV fans have demonstrated they still do 'love Lucy.'

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