The Rare Condition That Killed America's First Lady Of Comedy: Lucille Ball | Our History

In this episode world-renowned forensic pathologist Dr Michael Hunter unpacks Lucille Ball's' unusual cause of death, to determine what really happened to America's first lady of comedy.
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On the morning of April 26th, 1989, Lucille Ball died in a Los Angeles hospital leaving the world heartbroken. America's first lady of comedy had delighted audiences with a glittering career that spanned over half a century: but it was her television show, 'I Love Lucy ' that had transformed television and turned the actress into the most famous face on the planet. Lucille had a hardscrabble childhood shaped by tragedy and a lack of money but she fought her way to become a leading lady, on and off screen. But behind the Hollywood glamour and laughter lay heartache and ill health. Lucille's marriage to her on-screen husband collapsed in 1960 leaving her emotionally devastated and throughout her life, Lucille smoked heavily and suffered with high blood pressure. The 77-year-old would die of a rupture of the aorta - a life-ending tear of the largest artery in the human body. This is rare, and even more mysterious given the fact that she was in great shape just weeks before her death. So, what exactly was going on inside Lucille Ball's body that led to this catastrophic failure? And could a mystery teenage illness have played a part? World-renowned forensic pathologist, Dr. Michael Hunter investigates every aspect of Lucille's life in forensic detail, using her death certificate, medical documents and first-hand accounts to piece together what was going on in the body of America's most loved Lucy to find the answers.


This film was first broadcast: 10 Mar 2019

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