Ruby Roberts
I Love Lucy star Lucille Ball died from aortic rupture back in 1989, however new details surrounding the classic television and film icon’s death has revealed that Lucy suffered from an addiction to pep pills for years before her death according to Radar Online.
It has been three decades since TV fans had to say goodbye to one of the most beloved television stars of their time, Lucille Ball. At age 77, the actress tragically passed away on April 26, 1989, after suffering from a ruptured aorta. On Sunday, March 10 Reelz Channel‘s new docu-series Autopsy will take an in-depth look into all the circumstances that may have led to the actresses’ death.
“I can see from personal testimonies that Lucille was prescribed the drug Dexedrine. This is a powerful stimulant and can be highly addictive. Dexedrine is an amphetamine, also known as speed or uppers or pep pills,” says forensic pathologist, Dr. Michael Hunter in the show.
“Really surprising to find a Dexedrine pill box in her medicine cabinet, but there it was!” recalls Ball’s former friend, Paula Stewart.
Lucille Ball was known for her impeccable hard work ethics and often burned the candle on both ends for most of her life. With a young family to care for and an impossible work schedule, it seems Ball felt she needed some help to keep her energy up to man her rigorous day-to-day schedules.
“If Lucille was addicted to Dexedrine, this would’ve had a significant impact on her heart by artificially speeding it up, which could’ve effectively worn it out. I wonder did Dexedrine push her towards the catastrophic aortic rupture that led to her death,” adds Hunter.
She was the star of the self-produced sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show, Here’s Lucy, and Life with Lucy, as well as comedy television specials aired under the title The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.
On April 18, 1989, Lucille was at her Beverly Hills home when she suddenly began feeling chest pains. An ambulance was called and the actress was rushed to the emergency room of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she was diagnosed with dissecting aortic aneurysm and underwent heart surgery for nearly eight hours.
Surgeons were hopeful that the operation appeared to have been successful, and Ball began recovering very quickly. However, tragically on April 26, Ball awoke with severe back pains and soon lost consciousness.
Numerous attempts to revive Lucille Ball failed and her death was officially pronounced at 5:47 a.m. PDT. Doctors determined that Ball’s cause of death was due to an abdominal aortic aneurysm and subsequent rupture and that it was not directly related to her upper aneurysm. Cigarette smokers are known to have an increased risk of abdominal aneurysm. Ball had been a known heavy smoker for decades.
Autopsy: Lucille Ball airs Sunday, March 10 at 8 ET / PT on REELZ.
