Awwww...
R.I.P. Merlin Olsen
Yes, that was a sad bit of news this morning. His obit said he died of mesothelioma, which was diagnosed last year.
I met Merlin Olsen back in the 1980s onboard USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) during a dependent's day cruise. He was an invited guest of the Captain.
He came into my TV studio for a short visit. I entered after him and he turned to see who was walking in. "Whoa!", I said. "Did someone send us flowers"? He laughed. At that time, he was the FTD celebrity spokesman on all the TV ads.
We chatted about half an hour...mostly about his "Little House on the Prairie" experiences. He was a genuinely nice guy.