Merv Griffin, the entertainer and multimillionaire entrepeneur died today at age 82 after a battle with cancer. I last saw Merv back in March, when I attended a benefit he hosted for the LaQuinta Arts Festival. (I wrote a post of that evening right here on this blog back on March 4th). Photo left: Merv posed in this photo for me. He is flanked by Frankie Randall and Keely Smith.Merv Griffin has been a major financial supporter of a number of events and charities in the Palm Springs area. He was one of the most successful Hollywood entertainers and executives ever, with career on stage singing, and a 23 year run with The Merv Griffin Show where he invented the modern day talk show concept. He made his substantial fortune when he single-handedly created game shows Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune, which he sold to Colombia Pictures, with an ongoing share of profits. He had numerous real estate developments including hotels and other properties. As a resident of the Coachella Valley, Merv is a high profile valley resident and brought a great deal of Hollywood power to the Palm Springs area. He will be sorely missed.
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