Helen Merrill, 79, Agent
Helen Merrill, a major independent agent for playwrights, directors, and designers, died of lung cancer Mon., Aug 18, at St. Vincent's Hospital.
Merrill began her career as a theatrical photographer, and went on to open the Blondel Frame and Osgood Gallery.
She then opened an agency, Helen Merrill, Ltd., in 1973. Among the artists that she represented at her death are Christopher Durang, David Henry Wang, Michael Greif, Ming Cho Lee, and Maria Irene Fornes.
She is survived by a brother and a sister.
A private funeral service will be held, and a memorial service will be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.
Ray Heatherton, 88, TV's 'Merry Mailman'
Ray Heatherton, who played the Merry Mailman on television for two decades, died of Alzheimer's disease on Fri., Aug. 15, at the Actors' Fund Nursing and Retirement Home in Englewood, N.J. He was 88.
"The Merry Mailman" was a local children's program in the '50s and '60s. Heatherton hosted the show that was broadcast on WOR-TV and WPIX-TV in New York. He was also a musical comedy star, appearing on Broadway in the 1937 Rodgers and Hart musical "Babes in Arms."
As a big-band lead singer, he fronted the Paul Whiteman Orchestra.
He is survived by a daughter, the actress and singer Joey Heatherton, a son, and two grandchildren.
Abe Newborn, 77, Theatrical Agent
Abe Newborn, a longtime theatrical agent, died on Aug. 12 at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan, where he lived. He was 77, and the cause of death is believed to be congestive heart failure.
In 1948, Newborn founded the Baum-Newborn agency with Marty Baum. He represented composers, lyricists, and actors. Some of his more famous clients were Hume Cronyn, Joel Grey, Cy Coleman, and Betty Buckley.
He is survived by his son, Sam, his daughter, Marian, his wife, Joyce, and five gra