state that he was born in 1917. Merrill was married briefly to soprano Roberta Peters in 1952. They parted amicably; he had two children, a son David and a daughter Lizanne, with his second wife, Marion (d. March 20, 2010), née Machno, a pianist. Merrill liked to play golf and was a member of the Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York, for many years. He always maintained a warm sense of humor and once recalled the time a young contractor was working in his New Rochelle, New York, home. Surveying the photos, posters, plaques and other music memorabilia in the Merrill home, the young man asked Merrill, "You're a singer, aren't you?" "Yes," he responded. "You sing opera, don't you?" the worker asked. "A little," replied Merrill. (Agmazine, April 1996). He wrote two books of memoirs, Once More from the Beginning (1965) and Between Acts (1976), and he co-authored a novel, The Divas (1978). Merrill toured all over the world with his arranger and conductor, Angelo DiPippo, who wrote most of his act and performed at concert halls throughout the world. He always donated his time on the Cerebral Palsy Telethon with Dennis James. Death Merrill died at his home in New Rochelle, New York, at the age 87, while watching Game 1 of the 2004 World Series between the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals. He is interred at the Sharon Gardens Cemetery in Valhalla, New York, which is the Jewish division of Kensico Cemetery. His headstone features an opera curtain that has been drawn open. His epitaph states: Like a bursting celestial star, he showered his family and the world with love, joy, and beauty. Encore please. Performances with the Metropolitan Opera Robert Merrill sang 769 performances with the Metropolitan Opera in the following 21 roles: Studio recordings Robert Merrill made at least 25 studio recordings of complete operas, including two Toscanini radio broadcasts: See also A Salute to American Music (Richard Tucker Music Foundation Gala XVI, 1991) Listen to WNYC Soundcheck: Robert Merrill Remembered (October 26, 2004) References External links Discography of opera recordings (Capon's Lists of Opera Recordings) The New York Times, Obituary, October 26, 2004 "Great Singers Remembered: Robert Merrill" by Philip Ehrensaft. La Scena Musicale, May 14, 2005 United States National Medal of Arts recipients New York Yankees Musicians from Brooklyn Jewish American musicians Jewish classical musicians 1917 births 2004 deaths