Published at: Aug. 12, 2007, 11:40 a.m. CST by hercules
I am – Hercules.
Mervyn Edward Griffin, Jr., a stockbroker's son and a native of San Mateo, Calif., was a pianist, singer, radio performer, recording artist, game show host, talk show host, movie and stage actor, and a record and TV executive.
He had number-one hit in 1949 with “I’ve Got A Lovely Bunch of Coconuts,” which he sang with a cockney accent.
He is said to have released the first American album recorded on magnetic tape.
He hosted a talk show between 1969 and 1972 in what is now the David Letterman timeslot on CBS. He drew at that time a bigger salary than NBC’s Johnny Carson.
NBC once pursued him to host “The Today Show.”
He owned hotels, including the Beverly Hilton.
He created “Jeopardy” in 1964 and “Wheel of Fortune” in 1975.
He played himself in at least two Steve Martin movies: “The Man With Two Brains” (1983) and “The Lonely Guy” (1984).
His latest syndicated show, “Crosswords,” is expected to begin airing next month on a number of NBC-owned TV stations.
He passed away Sunday at Cedars Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles following a long bout with prostate cancer.
He was 82.
Find Griffin's Associated Press obituary here.
