re: Celebrity Deaths
RIP Merlin Olsen September 15, 1940 – March 10, 2010
NFL Hall of Famer Los Angeles Rams and Utah State University legend Merlin Olsen has died after a long battle with mesothelioma, a debilitating disease of the lungs.
Merlin Olsen played 15 season in the NFL from 1962 TO 1976 and was the Football Leagues MVP in 1974 and had 14 Pro Bowl appearances.
He also spent time as a football broadcast analyst for NBC and CBS broadcasting companies and even had acting gigs in classic American TV shows “Father Murphy” and “Little House on the Prairie”.
In December 2009, Merlin Olsen and others sued TV Studios and various companies for what he claimed was exposure to asbestos, linked to mesothelioma.