'i Love Lucy' Star Desi Arnaz Beat Alcoholism With Help From His Son: 'i Don't Want To Die'

When Desi Arnaz was heavy successful nan throes of alcoholism, he turned to his son, who faced his ain struggles pinch addiction, for advice.

"Desi’s 2nd woman had died," writer Todd S. Purdum told Fox News Digital. "He was alone. He knew he was drinking excessively much. He knew he was drinking himself to death. And he turned to Desi Jr., who was sober by then, and asked for help."

"His boy said, ‘I can’t thief you, but I cognize a spot that can,'" said Purdum. "Desi was smart capable to cognize that he was throwing his life away. He was successful unspeakable condolences and mourning… He was isolating himself. I deliberation he realized that he had to alteration something, aliases he was going to die."

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Desi Arnaz (1917-1986) pinch his son, character Desi Arnaz Jr., astatine nan NBC Studios successful New York City, circa 1980. (Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images)

The entertainer, who famously starred arsenic Ricky Ricardo other his first woman Lucille Ball successful nan ‘50s sitcom, "I Love Lucy," died successful 1986 astatine property 69 from lung cancer. 

He’s now nan taxable of a caller curriculum vitae by Purdum, "Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television." It explores nan precocious actor’s emergence to stardom and really he revolutionized tv production, arsenic good arsenic his last years. For nan book, Arnaz Jr., 72, gave a uncommon interview.

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz airs for a costume and constitution test, filmed days earlier nan first "I Love Lucy" section went into accumulation successful 1951. (CBS via Getty Images)

"His sister from nan very beginning, Lucie Arnaz, had been an invaluable thief to me," said Purdum. "She cooperated from nan beginning, giving maine entree to family letters and documents. I had a bid of agelong talks pinch Desi Jr. earlier we had an on-the-record interview. And I deliberation he understood that I was trying to show his father’s full story. He knew I would beryllium sympathetic but wouldn’t spare nan complications of his life and demons."

Desi Arnaz Jr. and Lucie Arnaz be The Paley Center for Media presents "Tropicana Nights: A Salute to nan Music of ‘I Love Lucy’" astatine The Paley Center for Media connected Dec. 9, 2011, successful Beverly Hills, California. (Beck Starr/FilmMagic/Getty Images)

"I deliberation he saw that I was trying to understand his father, what made him tick, what made him truthful talented, but besides nan forces that undermined him successful nan later portion of his life wherever he was swallowed up by alcoholism and depression," Purdum shared.

Desi Arnaz performing connected stage, circa 1975. In 1985, he entered an intoxicant rehabilitation programme astatine nan Scripps McDonald Center successful La Jolla, California. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

According to Purdum, Desi Jr. sought curen successful 1981. His begetter entered an intoxicant rehabilitation programme successful 1985 nether nan sanction "Bill Sanchez" to protect his privacy. Before seeking help, Lucie recalled really their begetter called Desi Jr. and pleaded, "I request help. I don’t want to die."

At first, Arnaz resisted treatment. After a fewer days, he moreover near nan hospital.

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Lucie Arnaz said to writer Todd S. Purdum astir her father's determination to activity curen for alcoholism. (Getty Images)

"Desi was proud," said Purdum. "He believed you shouldn’t aerial your soiled linen successful nationalist aliases talk astir it pinch different people. He was stubborn successful that way. And alcoholism was overmuch much stigmatized backmost then."

Still, Arnaz returned to nan programme and persisted.

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz hoped "I Love Lucy" would prevention their marriage. It didn't. (Getty Images)

"We were location for him, nan proudest infinitesimal of my life… erstwhile he stood up and said, ‘My sanction is Desi, and I’m an alcoholic,’" said Lucie, 73, arsenic quoted successful nan book. "I cried my eyes out. I was truthful proud of him."

"Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television" is retired now. (Simon & Schuster)

Purdum described really Arnaz turned to nan vessel agelong earlier his Hollywood occurrence to drown retired a achy past.

"I deliberation Desi suffered from what we would now telephone PTSD," Purdum explained. "He had to time off everything down successful Cuba erstwhile he was a teenager. His family mislaid everything to nan revolution. They came to this state without a penny successful their pockets.

Desi Arnaz is shown successful a sound booth arsenic executive director. (Getty Images)

"I deliberation nan aftermath of that disruption took a toll connected him for nan remainder of his life… And certainly, location was nan accent of moving a large and increasing business arsenic a mogul. I deliberation he sought immoderate self-anesthetization, immoderate relief, and intoxicant was nan information valve that he turned to."

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"He writes successful his memoir that he’d ever enjoyed drinking," Purdum continued. "He’d ever had a large appetite for drinking… He loved food, drink, women and song. And he seems to person been nan benignant of personification who grabbed life by nan handful."

Arnaz and Ball said "I do" successful 1940. Their matrimony was plagued pinch problems, chiefly owed to their abstracted careers, on pinch Arnaz's womanizing and drinking. "I Love Lucy," which premiered successful 1951, was designed to prevention their marriage, The Associated Press reported.

Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball appeared successful films during nan 1940s earlier they took connected a caller mean called television. (Mondadori via Getty Images)

"One of nan things that went incorrect was… they started nan show truthful they could beryllium together," said Purdum. "They could unrecorded together successful Los Angeles and activity together. Desi was connected nan roadworthy pinch his set a lot. Lucille was making movies successful Hollywood. They were often separated. So nan show was created partially to prevention their marriage.

Musician and character Desi Arnaz plays nan conga drum. (George Rinhart/Corbis via Getty Images)

"But there’s a strain from being together 24/7, not only astatine home, but astatine activity too. That puts a batch of unit connected immoderate relationship… And Desi, arsenic he sewage much successful, fell much and much prey to drinking."

"He was retired of control, some pinch his intoxicant depletion and his womanizing," said Purdum. "I deliberation it conscionable became excessively overmuch for Lucille to take. But they ever stayed connected. They ne'er stopped loving each other. I’m judge of that… But I deliberation each nan pressures they faced would beryllium a large load connected anybody. And I deliberation that load was reflected successful their lives."

Desi Arnaz and his caller bride Lucille Ball successful his dressing room astatine nan Roxy Theatre, circa 1940. (Getty Images)

According to nan book, immoderate of nan couple’s friends claimed that nan last straw for Ball came erstwhile she recovered Arnaz "with 2 hookers" successful their guesthouse. Ball told immoderate confidantes that it was she who sought nan divorce.

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Desi had a wandering oculus passim his matrimony to Lucille Ball. (Getty Images)

"She ever knew aliases suspected that he had been unfaithful to her… but it was private," said Purdum. "Lucille didn’t for illustration it, but I deliberation she could benignant of tolerate it… [But] past it became very public. It was written astir successful nan tabloids erstwhile Desi sewage arrested for weaving drunkenly down a thoroughfare successful Hollywood, successful a vicinity of brothels. I deliberation it conscionable became overwhelming for her and excessively overmuch to return successful public."

Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz going complete business matters. Their matrimony ended successful 1960. (Getty Images)

"I deliberation she was besides worried astir nan toll that their fighting was taking connected nan children. She said astatine 1 constituent that nan children had seen and heard excessively overmuch of nan hostility betwixt their parents. She decided… that it would beryllium amended for nan children to travel from a surgery location than to unrecorded successful one."

Arnaz and Ball’s children told Purdum that they knew their parents loved them and did nan champion they could.

Lucie and Desi Jr., nan children of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, connected committee nan liner "SS Liberte" during a voyage to Europe, circa 1959. (Pictorial Parade/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

"They are some alert of really their parents fell short," said Purdum. "They besides understand that it must person been very analyzable to unrecorded successful that reality."

Arnaz and Ball called it quits successful 1960. Both went connected to remarry, pinch Ball tying nan knot pinch Gary Morton successful 1961 and Arnaz to Edith Mack Hirsch successful 1963.

Desi Arnaz and his bride Edith Mack Hirsch, 45, clasp pursuing their wedding astatine nan Sands Hotel, circa 1963. They remained together until her decease successful 1985 from cancer. (Getty Images)

"He had a happy matrimony to Edie, a friend that he’d known," said Purdum. "He was not religious to her either, because that’s conscionable nan measurement he seems to person been wired. But I deliberation Lucille was nan awesome emotion of his life, and he was nan awesome emotion of her life. They ne'er felt astir their 2nd spouses nan aforesaid measurement they felt astir each other."

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Desi Arnaz is seen present doing a speech for "Saturday Night Live" successful 1976. At nan time, nan character was facing crippling alcoholism. (NBCU Photo Bank/Getty Images)

After Arnaz sought intoxicant treatment, he ne'er drank again. But conscionable a twelvemonth aft seeking help, he faced a awesome rustle erstwhile he was diagnosed pinch lung cancer.

When he was dying, he and Ball had "long talks" arsenic they reminisced astir nan past. Their past words to each different were "I emotion you," connected Nov. 30, 1986, which would person been their 46th wedding anniversary. 

Two days later, Arnaz passed away.

Desi Arnaz famously starred arsenic Ricky Ricardo successful "I Love Lucy." (CBS via Getty Images)

"He sewage amended excessively late," said Purdum. "I deliberation that’s 1 of nan things that’s very sad astir nan past portion of his story. He did yet person nan courageousness to look immoderate of his problems, but not successful clip to prevention his life."

"To his children, Desi was a complicated, but very loving, talented, self-taught visionary," said Purdum. "Ricky Ricardo is simply a awesome character, and Desi did a bully occupation of playing him, but he’s not conscionable immoderate feline who talked funny and played nan drums. He was a singular figure, and I deliberation that’s really worthy knowing."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.