Hall of Famer Merlin Olsen Dead

Merlin Olsen has died of cancer, Rosey Grier cried. He had planned to visit Olsen at a Los Angeles area hospital Wednesday but was told by Olsen’s brother, Phil, that it probably would be better if he waited until Friday.

Merlin Olsen

“So Phil put the phone to his ear and we were able to talk,” Grier said by telephone Thursday. “He sounded sick but the thing was, he still sounded like Merlin.”

Grier paused to collect himself before continuing.

“I loved that man,” he said. “I really loved him.”

Olsen, who was 69, died from complications related to malignant mesothelioma, which erodes the protective lining around the lungs. He was diagnosed last year.

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