Edith Mack Hirsch: the verified story of Desi Arnaz’s second wife
Edith Mack Hirsch, born Edith McSkimming and known to everyone as Edie, was Desi Arnaz’s second wife. They married on March 2, 1963, his 46th birthday, and stayed married for 22 years until she died of cancer on March 23, 1985. Arnaz died the following year.
She was not a Hollywood figure. Before she married Arnaz she had been married to Clement L. Hirsch, the businessman behind Kal Kan dog food, and the two families were neighbors in Del Mar, California.
Most pages about her describe her vaguely as a humanitarian and assign her a net worth. The real story is better, and it comes mostly from her stepdaughter, Lucie Arnaz, who has talked about her warmly in several interviews.
Edith Mack Hirsch at a glance
| Detail | Verified information |
|---|---|
| Name | Edith “Edie” Mack Hirsch, née McSkimming |
| Born | April 15, 1917, Illinois |
| Died | March 23, 1985, Del Mar, California, of cancer |
| Married Desi Arnaz | March 2, 1963 |
| Length of marriage | 22 years, until her death |
| Earlier marriage | Clement L. Hirsch, the Kal Kan dog food manufacturer |
| Children | A son, Gregory, from her marriage to Hirsch |
| Stepchildren | Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. |
Who was Edith Mack Hirsch?
The part of her life that gets lost in most write-ups is how she and Arnaz first crossed paths. According to Lucie Arnaz, they met long before either of their marriages, when Edie was working as a cigarette girl at a racetrack.
She later married Clement L. Hirsch, a wealthy businessman who manufactured Kal Kan dog food and owned thoroughbred racing stables. Horses were a shared interest, and it stayed with her.
By the time she and Arnaz reconnected, the two families were living side by side. Lucie Arnaz has described how Edie, Clement, and their son Greg lived next door to the Arnaz family in Del Mar and shared a house with the comedian Jimmy Durante and his wife, Marge. The families grew up around each other.
So when Arnaz married her in 1963, he was not marrying a stranger from the industry. He was marrying a longtime family friend.
Marriage to Desi Arnaz (1963–1985)
| Year | What happened |
|---|---|
| 1960 | Arnaz and Lucille Ball divorce after 20 years of marriage |
| 1962 | Edie’s marriage to Clement Hirsch ends [VERIFY: the 1962 divorce date, which appears only in user-edited sources] |
| 1963 | Edie and Desi marry on March 2, his 46th birthday |
| 1960s onward | Arnaz sharply reduces his show business work |
| 1985 | Edie dies of cancer on March 23 |
| 1986 | Arnaz dies in December, of lung cancer |
Wikipedia’s entry on Arnaz notes that after the wedding he greatly reduced his show business activities. The marriage was quiet by design. It was held at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas, and the couple spent their later years largely out of the public eye in Del Mar.
What Lucie Arnaz has said about her
Her stepdaughter is the best source on what Edie was like, and the descriptions are consistent across interviews.
- Lucie has called her relationship with her father “pure, unadulterated joy.”
- She described Edie to Fox News as the “best thing that ever happened to him.”
- She has recalled Edie teaching her to drive, taking the children bowling and to the fair, and handling her father better than anyone.
- She has said Edie and Lucille Ball were friendly and played cards together, which is not how celebrity second marriages usually go.
One detail sums up the household: Lucie has said Edie could not cook when they married, and that Arnaz, a serious cook himself, taught her until she became a good one.
Her death and Arnaz’s sobriety
Edie died on March 23, 1985, at 67. Her death changed the last stretch of Arnaz’s life.
According to Wikipedia’s account, his children persuaded him after her death to get treatment for the alcohol addiction he had lived with for decades. Lucie Arnaz has described watching her father stand up and identify himself as an alcoholic, calling it her proudest moment with him.
He was diagnosed with lung cancer not long after and died on December 2, 1986, in Del Mar, a year and a half after Edie.
Desi Arnaz’s two marriages
| Wife | Married | Ended | Children |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucille Ball | 1940 | Divorced 1960 | Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. |
| Edith Mack Hirsch | 1963 | Her death in 1985 | None together |
Arnaz and Ball had two children and together built Desilu Productions, the company behind I Love Lucy. Edie had one son, Gregory, from her marriage to Clement Hirsch.
Edith Mack Hirsch facts vs claims
Profiles of her repeat a lot of detail that does not hold up. Here is how the common claims compare.
| Claim | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Desi Arnaz’s second wife, married March 2, 1963 | Supported | Wikipedia and contemporary photographs of the wedding |
| Died of cancer in 1985 | Supported | Wikipedia. Her stepdaughter has spoken about it |
| Previously married to Clement L. Hirsch | Supported | Described by Lucie Arnaz in interviews |
| Worked as a cigarette girl at a racetrack | Supported | Lucie Arnaz’s account |
| Had a son, Gregory | Supported | Lucie Arnaz’s account |
| Died on March 25, 1985 | Contradicted | Wikipedia and genealogical records give March 23 |
| Born into a wealthy New York family | Contradicted | Records place her birth in Illinois |
| Met Arnaz at a club owned by her father | Unsupported | Conflicts with the racetrack account from her stepdaughter |
| Occupation listed as “humanitarian” | Unsupported | Repeated everywhere with nothing behind it |
| Net worth of $5 million or $12.5 million | Unsupported | Two different figures, neither sourced |
| Co-founder of the Oak Tree Racing Association | Unconfirmed | Appears in a user-edited wiki. Plausible given her racing connections, but unverified |
| Height, eye color, hair color | Invented | Template filler |
The two competing net worth figures are the tell. One site says $5 million, another says $12.5 million, and neither explains how a woman who died in 1985 was assessed at all.
What we left out
This page does not cover her son’s private life or publish genealogical details about her parents and siblings beyond what is needed to correct the record about her birthplace. It also skips the invented backstory about a wealthy New York upbringing, which contradicts the documented Illinois birth.
Why she matters in the Lucy and Desi story
Anyone reading about I Love Lucy eventually hits the divorce and stops there, as if Arnaz’s life ended in 1960. It did not.
He spent 22 years married to Edie, more than the 20 he spent married to Lucille Ball. Those were the years he stepped back from television, lived quietly in Del Mar, and, by his daughter’s account, was happier than he had been at the height of his fame. That makes Edith Mack Hirsch a significant figure in his story, not a footnote to it.
The bottom line on Edith Mack Hirsch
Edie Hirsch met Desi Arnaz at a racetrack years before either of them was famous to the other, married a dog food millionaire, raised a son, ended up living next door to the Arnaz family in Del Mar, and married Desi in 1963. She was his wife for 22 years, and her death in 1985 is what finally pushed him to get sober.
For sourcing, Lucie Arnaz’s interviews are the best material available. Skip the pages offering a net worth for a woman who died four decades ago.
FAQs about Edith Mack Hirsch
Who was Edith Mack Hirsch?
She was Desi Arnaz’s second wife, married to him from 1963 until her death in 1985.
How did Desi Arnaz meet Edith Mack Hirsch?
They first met when she was working as a cigarette girl at a racetrack, years before their marriage.
Did Edith Mack Hirsch and Desi Arnaz have children?
No. She had a son, Gregory, from her earlier marriage to Clement L. Hirsch.
When did Edith Mack Hirsch die?
She died on March 23, 1985, at 67, from cancer.
Who was Edith Mack Hirsch’s first husband?
Clement L. Hirsch, the manufacturer of Kal Kan dog food and a thoroughbred racing owner.
Were Lucille Ball and Edith Mack Hirsch friendly?
Yes. Lucie Arnaz has said the two were friendly and played cards together.
How long were Desi Arnaz and Edith Mack Hirsch married?
Twenty-two years, from March 1963 until her death in March 1985.
JacksonPadilla is a writer at Around Celebrities, covering celebrity families, relationships, biographies, and the stories behind the stars. With a focus on clear and engaging storytelling, JacksonPadilla helps readers discover the people and connections beyond the spotlight.
