Another barrier to their romance in the 1940s was age. Ball, who was 28 years old when she met Arnaz, was six years his senior, and marriage to a younger man in those days was considered inappropriate. Though it might have been socially acceptable and taboo, but it didn’t stop Ball and Arnaz.
They lied on their marriage certificate, both listing their birthdates as 1914 to avoid controversy and prevent the public from discovering their age difference. Ball was actually born in 1911, however, and Arnaz in 1917 (via US Weekly). The couple had two children together, but after a turbulent 20-year marriage and Arnaz’s heavy drinking and numerous infidelities, Ball finally filed for divorce in 1960, though the pair remained good friends until the end of their lives. Arnaz passed away at the age of 69 after being diagnosed with lung cancer, and Ball died three years later.
