Who Inherited Lucille Ball's Money After Her Death?

With the release of the biopic "Being the Ricardos," now available on Amazon Prime, Lucille Ball has been in the spotlight again. The comedian's legacy, namely her show "I Love Lucy," earned her a staggering fortune. Celebrity Net Worth estimates that the star was worth $60 million when she died in 1989 (which would be $125 million with inflation, per The List). Despite Ball's show being decades old, the Los Angeles Times said "I Love Lucy" still earns CBS $20 million a year.

Having created one of the highest-ranking and most popular sitcoms of all time, it's no surprise that Ball amassed such riches in her time. Per IMDb, Ball's career spanned 1933 to 1986 with 121 acting credits to her name. So, given her 50 years of performing as well as her recurring posthumous earnings, who is benefiting from Ball's comedic genius? In other words, who inherited her fortune after she died?

After Lucille Ball's death, something had to be done about the estate she left behind. What ensued after she died could only be described as an all-out estate war. According to Reelz's "Lucille Ball: Death, Life & Money," the major disagreements about the estate were between her children, Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr., and her second husband Gary Morton. More specifically the beef was between Ball's children and Morton's wife Susie McAllister.

According to the Reelz special (via Meaww), after Morton died he left Ball's personal items to McAllister, who then sold them. After the auctions, Ball's children apparently have since been fighting to get things like jewelry, awards, and letters back from the sales. One of Ball's faux pearl necklaces even sold on "Pawn Stars" for just $325 after the buyer haggled down from $500, per Looper.

McAllister placed many of Ball's personal pieces up for sale in 2010, a decade after Morton's death, which was met with a restraining order, per Stylecaster. A judge placed the restraining order against McAllister on behalf of Lucie Arnaz, and in the end, negotiated a deal with the auction house. Ball's lifetime achievement awards were returned to Lucie, who plans on donating them to a museum.

"Being the Ricardos" brought Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz back into the conversation, namely whether or not Nicole Kidman was the right casting choice for Ball. Regardless of whether you think the role should've gone to Debra Messing, Carole Cook, or any other comedic actor, it's understandable that Ball's real-life family would have something to say on the subject of the biopic.

In a Facebook video, Lucie Arnaz spoke her mind on the film. She clarified (via Stylecaster), "Here's the deal. You should understand. We are not doing a remake of 'I Love Lucy.' No one has to impersonate Lucy Ricardo nor do the Vitameatavegamin routine, or the chocolate factory routine or any of the silly things." Lucie went on to explain that it's about the real people behind the popular show. "It's the story of Lucille Ball, my actual mother, not Lucy Ricardo, and her husband, Desi Arnaz, my dad, not Ricky Ricardo," she said. "There will be humor in the film, but it is a story of the two of them and how they met and what went right with finding the show, what went wrong, their relationship, their love affair."

Just like in the new film, the reality surrounding Ball and the fortune she left behind is complicated. She left the world with decades of laughter while her children had to fight to keep her personal effects. Even so, it's good to know Ball's awards weren't auctioned off to the highest bidder.