Merv Griffin (July 6, 1925- August 12, 2007), a pioneer in the TV entertainment industry, has died at age 82 of prostate cancer. Merv Griffin, a singer and talk show host, created the TV games Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1996, he was treated initially with brachytherapy therapy [see correction below]. Although the exact time of his cancer’s recurrence and what treatments he then received have not been announced, his family say on his website

Griffin, who turned 82 on July 6th, was recently diagnosed during a routine examination with a recurrence of the prostate cancer that he had overcome more than a decade ago. Its aggressive progression to other organs was unexpected and immediate, according to his doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.merv.com:

Griffin spoke on TV about receiving fitness tips from his friend Arnold Schwarzenegger but said that he continued smoke. In July he told Larry King on TV that that his prostate cancer had come back and was advanced. Last week, gravely ill, he entered Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles and, according to his son interviewed on Entertainment Tonight, was sedated for 5 days, intubated and treated for extreme pain. He died on Sunday August 12.

Merv Griffin’s warmth, charm and talent are on display at You Tube in fuzzy videos such as his performance with friends of WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED LOVE”.

Merv Griffin’s career is outlined at CNN. Entertainer, businessman Merv Griffin dies at 82.