Merv Griffin's Health Misfortune
Merv Griffin's summer has taken an unfortunate twist.
The game show impresario has been hospitalized for a recurrence of prostate cancer that was discovered a few weeks ago during a routine exam, a spokesperson said Wednesday.
"I'd rather play Jeopardy! than live it," Griffin, 82, said in a statement. "I was ready for a vacation; however, this wasn't the destination I had in mind."
Griffin's son, Tony, said his father was resting comfortably at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, adding that "his sense of humor and optimistic outlook remain intact."
Born July 6, 1925 in San Mateo, California, Griffin started out in show biz at age 19 as a radio singer, later scoring a number-one hit with the single "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts," which sold more than three million copies.
He later crossed over into the world of TV and film, making his big-screen debut in 1953's So This Is Love, and appearing regularly on shows such as The Arthur Murray Dance Party and The Jack Paar Show. He later served as host of his own eponymous talk show, which ran in various incarnations through 1986.
In 1964, Griffin came up with the idea for Jeopardy! and the show originally ran on NBC from March of that year through January 1975. It returned to the airwaves in syndication in 1984, and continues to air to this day.
After the Peacock canceled the Q&A series, Griffin developed its successor, Wheel of Fortune, which debuted on NBC in January 1975 and has aired continuously in syndication since September 1983.
More recently, Griffin created the new syndicated game show Merv Griffin's Crosswords, which is due to debut on Sept. 10. The game will feature several contestants vying against one another to complete a giant crossword puzzle.
"What I love about it is there are no categories. Like Jeopardy!, it's just all over the place, covering everything from pop culture to history," Griffin said in a recent interview.
On the heels of his new show's launch, Griffin is slated to take the stage at the Hollywood Bowl Sept. 14-16, performing with Pink Martini.
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