died of a rare blood cancer, and Merrick announced the news himself to both the cast and the audience at the opening night curtain call."This is a very tragic moment," he said. "I'm sorry to have to report that today, Gower Champion died."

Merrick suffered a stroke in 1983, after which he spent most of his time in a wheelchair. He established the David Merrick Arts Foundation in 1998 to support the development of American musicals.

Personal life

Merrick was married six times to five different

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