Desi Arnaz Jr. at age twenty poses at his mother Lucille Ball's Beverly Hills home wearing a Mickey Mouse T-shirt, photo by Ellen Graham, 1973. Desi Jr. was appearing on his mother's television sitcom Here's Lucy at the time and branching out to film roles. A "teen idol" of the era, his love life was the fodder of gossip columns due to his relationships with older actresses Liza Minnelli and Patty Duke, causing his mother more than a little embarrassment when Patty became pregnant in 1970 with her son Sean Astin and Desi was believed to be the father (in an absolute "Drama Queen" moment prompted by her fear of being photographed by the tabloids and gossip rags, Lucy showed up to see the baby with a black veil covering her face and red hair, and Patty later recalled that Ball was frosty and distinctly displeased about what was then thought to have transpired between Duke and Desi Jr). Sean, later a star himself, eventually had DNA tests done with Desi, Patty's second husband music promoter Michael Tell, and her third husband actor John Astin (Patty, who was in the throes of a severe manic episode connected to her yet to be diagnosed bipolar disorder, was involved with all three men at the same time in 1970 and her memories of the period were extremely hazy); the test results proved beyond any doubt that Tell was Sean's actual father despite Patty's belief that Desi Jr. was his biological dad, a fact she had tremendous difficulty accepting (only married to Tell for thirteen days before their union was annulled, Duke could not recall the marriage ever being consummated). Close to all three, as well as to Duke's fourth husband Mike Pearce, Sean stated: "Desi Arnaz Jr. loves me, and I love him. I can call any of them on the phone any time I want to. John, Desi, Mike, or Papa Mike…my four dads!" Sean and Patty remained close despite the biological paternity kerfuffle, with Sean saying following his mother's passing at the age of 69 in 2016: "The way that I think of my mother, the thing that gives me such joy and reverence for her, is that, above all else, she was a warrior." Referencing his mother's time as President of the Screen Actor's Guild in the latter half of the 1980s (an important position in Hollywood which Sean, following in his mother's footsteps, was later elected to in 2025), Sean stated: "You watch this 4 foot 10, tiny imp of a lady who’s more powerful than the greatest military leaders in history. I’d put her up against Napoleon and she’d beat him. When she’d look at you with her eyes, if she was angry, she was terrifying. She would terrify big teamsters and could sit opposite a table with executives and if she was right and she had the authority, they backed down. She was impressive. People know that about her and they revere that in her." Astin launched the Patty Duke Mental Health Project in her honor after her death, admirably raising funds and continuing Patty's work as an outspoken advocate for those dealing with bipolar disorder and other mental health issues.
