Lucy Dies April 26th, 1989

[leenorman]

And just a side note: Reagan may have been beloved by some....BUT NOT BY ME.

 

Me, neither; and I'm a Republican; how do you feel about 'NUKULAR' bushey????

[vivfantoo*]

Very nice words for our Lucy, Claude. It was like a death in the family, wasn't it? And a shock because earlier reports said she was doing well & expected to go home soon. I remember how coverage of her life & death was on every channel.

 

Neil, I was so glad, too, that she lived long enough to see all the outpouring of love her fans felt for her. I remember a news clip that showed an office building across the street from the hospital that hung a homemade sign (on a white sheet, maybe?) that said "We love Lucy".

 

Haven't made my way down to the Screening Room yet but looking forward to watching the interview (probably over a couple of days if it is 3 hours long ).

 

Miki, I'm sorry you can't see the pictures. I was able to see the original pic Chester posted & just clicked on the link & I can see that one, too.

[mikidiki]

Ahhh yes! I can see it now in IE, it doesn't show up in Chrome! xx p.s - Yes, not a fan of that hairstyle LOL!

[C L A U D E]

This is assuming she HAD to go at some point....(also assumes she was not in too much pain or discomfort that last week)

She went out in perfect style.

Her production number swan song "Comedy Ain't No Joke" is one of the best of her career. She looked great, sang it live and included that applause-inducing Chaplin walk in the choreography. Vibrant and lithe, even at 76. Then there was that heart-felt reprise. Excellent.

Who knows at her age whether the effects of the stroke would have ever been completely overcome. Perhaps they would have gotten worse. As much as I didn't want her to go, I wouldn't want to have seen her hobbling around like post-stroke Bette Davis.

Yes Bob Hope lived to be 100 but he had been out of the public eye for the last 10 years or so of his life, drifting into senility. As revered a public figure as he was (probably Lucy's only male rival), his death was more of a ho-hum, news-wise.

To have that outpouring of love at the Academy Awards may have erased part of the sting she must have felt after being rejected in Live with Lucy.

But had she gone in a split second, she never would have known how much we love her. I've never known anyone else whose hospitalization made headlines and, more uniquely whose progress made the national news NIGHTLY. Again, assuming she wasn't in too much pain, I'm glad she stuck around for a week so she knew how much she was loved....in a way no other public figure had been before or since.

True and very well said as always. Best line there was that she got to see how much she was loved that last week. Hope was almost completely blind and had to be carried to and from bed by his male nurse. I don't think he was as beloved as Lucy. As for Ms Davis, i agree, horrible at the end. I wouldn't have wqanted to see Lucy like that either.

[C L A U D E]

Neil you are right on a lot of points. I was only 10 at the time she passed and probably had watched ILL before then. I did not really start taking an interest in Lucy until another 2 years, so I do not remember anything about her passing.

 

I think it was wonderful how the Academy Awards was her last time public appearance. Full on glamour and the standing O very deserved and I think handed out too often these days to those that have not truly deserved it. I have a lot of the coverage on tape that was shown that day including ET, Nightline and the hour long CBS special. The only deaths I remember with that level of fanfare since was Regan and then that was a much beloved president so that was going to happen. The other was Michael Jackson, but that had the element of a very famous, controversial figure that died suddenly and with a lot of unanswered questions as to how.

 

Lucy said herself that she did not want to live to an old age. It’s interesting that so many in her family did. Cleo and Fred were both in their 90’s when they died and wasn’t DeDe in her late 80’s? It’s sad the whole ILL cast went out so young.

 

But what more would have Lucy really done work wise? If you don’t age in front of the public like Betty White has when you come back out not looking your best, you get the inevitable “so and so is not looking too good these days”, and then the death rumors start. Lucy was happy most when she was working but the string of bad health was starting to make that harder. I think if she really worked physically to get herself back out there and challenged herself with roles she would have done much better in the 80’s. Unfortunally Gary only wanted her to do the safe stuff and nothing that made her look old. It seems liked in the 80’s if you were a legend you could get away with doing the older roles. I think the period we are in now people are starting to realize that again and those over 60, 70, 80 who have been in the business a long time are still out there doing great work. The old Monty Python line ”I’m not dead yet” comes to mind.

Yes, it was before social media took over, a totally different type of death that took over the world, she was loved everywhere in the world. De de was 85 when she passed and i thought it strange that Lucy kept saying in '84 that she only wanted to live five more years, and boy, her timing was excellent yet again.

[C L A U D E]

Dede was 84. She was born in 1892 and died in 1977. I don't think she had had her birthday yet.

There's something about Lucy aging and trying to look as good as possible that made people MAD. There may have been another star who suffered this treatment but I can't think of one.

And just a side note: Reagan may have been beloved by some....BUT NOT BY ME.

You're right again, most of the problems plaguing the US today wre due tio that schumck reagan. As for Lucy's age thing, i think the world adored her as Lucy Ricardo and never could stasnd seeing that character get old.

[C L A U D E]

So what will everyone be watching today. I think I'm going to do a best of Carol and Lucy.

Great choice! I was dissapointed that the first CB DVD i bought recently doesn't even feature Lucy. But i have to say, having seen Carol on talk shows lately plugging her new book about her daughter, SHE LOOKS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE FOR 80!!!!! Knew she was twenty years younger than Lucy but never thought she was actually EIGHTY YEARS OLD.

[C L A U D E]

I was working 3 part time jobs and going to community college in 1989.... My frist job of the day was a clothing store.. and before I left that day for work my mother told me about Lucille saying to her daughter (reading from the morning paper..) ... Wouldn't you know today was the day I was to have my hair done.. and we both laughed and off to my first job of the day... Later at that job.. the news report came over the radio and announced that Lucille had died.. all my coworkers were like.. Are you okay?? and the boss said. go home and I will pay you for the day... so I went home... and took to my bed.. Much to my mother's dismay.. she would say.. it is sad.. but not life threatining.. and I just couldn't stand it... I was sooo sad that I never got to meet her.. soon... the phone was ringing off the hook with condolences from people all over the U.S... since most of my friends moved on to other schools...and finally a call from my boss from my night job... he started with .. My condolences for Lucy... and then he said don't worry about coming in tonight and I will pay you for the night... (I was working at a movie theatre at night and the 50th anniversary of Gone With The Wind was out at that time).. he said "get some friends toghether and come watch

GWTW tonight.. I will pay you and you can have whatever you want from the concession stand"... Well... 2 jobs let me off and paid me and provided me with a night of entertainment... my mother was just dumbfounded... This many people didn't do these nice things for you when your grandmother died...and I said.. grandma wasn't LUCY

Great story, my mom told me when i went home for lunch. Little did you know there was a young man in Canada feeling your pain.

[C L A U D E]

Very nice words for our Lucy, Claude. It was like a death in the family, wasn't it? And a shock because earlier reports said she was doing well & expected to go home soon. I remember how coverage of her life & death was on every channel.

 

Neil, I was so glad, too, that she lived long enough to see all the outpouring of love her fans felt for her. I remember a news clip that showed an office building across the street from the hospital that hung a homemade sign (on a white sheet, maybe?) that said "We love Lucy".

 

Haven't made my way down to the Screening Room yet but looking forward to watching the interview (probably over a couple of days if it is 3 hours long ).

 

Miki, I'm sorry you can't see the pictures. I was able to see the original pic Chester posted & just clicked on the link & I can see that one, too.

The We Love You Lucy banner was hung at the Hard Rock Cafe and when Lucy was moved to a private room instead of the intensive care one, she could see it from her room. The morons at SNL then offered her a hosting gig, which they should have done years before. There was this sidewalk parchment signed by thousands near her star in Hollywood, flowers on her star, well one of her two stars on the Walk of Fame. This town sent in this huge card signed by all the town's residents. So many cards and flowers sent to Cedars that they set the overflow flowers to other hospitals.

[C L A U D E]

Lucy's cover of People that week was their best seller of the year, surpassing her old school chum Bette Davis. Who also died that year. A year later they did another cover story and interviewed friends and relatives. Lucy then started making covers and being a part of tribute editions of various magazines and books showing the top tv shows, top comics, top people period. Just went through the entire collection of them. Great pictures, not the ones we always see.

[Luvsbway]

I have that people on my wall and that cover is perfection. Not a single other headline and what a great photo.

[C L A U D E]

I have that people on my wall and that cover is perfection. Not a single other headline and what a great photo.

I KNOW, but what an unusual photo to have used, don't you think?

[Brock]

Strangely, I don't ever think I've seen that particular shot used anywhere else but on the People cover.

[C L A U D E]

Strangely, I don't ever think I've seen that particular shot used anywhere else but on the People cover.

My point exactly, guess they wanted something truly different and SPECIAL.

[Lucyilove]

What a sad day that was, I vividly remember it. I wasn't working at the time so I found out fairly early that morning turning on CNN. I don't think I hardly had the television off for 24 hours, catching the latest news on CNN, plus the special full half hours on her life and career on SHOWBIZ TODAY and ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT, the CBS primetime special tribute with Dan Rather, Dinah Shore, and others, the ABC NIGHTLINE "Death of Lucy" half hour report plus the nightly news on all three networks which all had much footage (I switched channels and recorded furiously during that half hour and believe I got nearly all of each report, fortunately I don't think they ran their Lucy obit news at the exact same moments in that half hour). Barely had time to breathe that day but I do remember walking outside a bit feeling shocked. I can't recall another actress ever getting anything like this, nor any entertainer in Lucy's age range. When they die young like Elvis or Michael Jackson it's a big news deal but someone dying at 77 is not normally major dramatic news but it is when it is such iconic part of American pop culture as Lucy.

[C L A U D E]

What a sad day that was, I vividly remember it. I wasn't working at the time so I found out fairly early that morning turning on CNN. I don't think I hardly had the television off for 24 hours, catching the latest news on CNN, plus the special full half hours on her life and career on SHOWBIZ TODAY and ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT, the CBS primetime special tribute with Dan Rather, Dinah Shore, and others, the ABC NIGHTLINE "Death of Lucy" half hour report plus the nightly news on all three networks which all had much footage (I switched channels and recorded furiously during that half hour and believe I got nearly all of each report, fortunately I don't think they ran their Lucy obit news at the exact same moments in that half hour). Barely had time to breathe that day but I do remember walking outside a bit feeling shocked. I can't recall another actress ever getting anything like this, nor any entertainer in Lucy's age range. When they die young like Elvis or Michael Jackson it's a big news deal but someone dying at 77 is not normally major dramatic news but it is when it is such iconic part of American pop culture as Lucy.

Yep, same here, and let's remember that this was all BEFORE the internet, news was REAL news back then. Remember the hospital saying they got so many cards,letters telegrams and flowers that they had never seen anything like it, even worrying that no faxes that they needed could get through due to the backlog of us fans expressing our concern and later GRIEF.