What was Merri Dee Cause Of Death? On 17th March 2022, news broke about the death of a veteran broadcaster Merri Dee. She died at the age of 85 years. According to her family, the cause of Merri Dee’s death is natural as she died peacefully in her sleep.
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Merri Dee Cause of Death
Dee is survived by her husband, Nicolas Fulop, and their two children, a daughter, and a son.
Below is what the family had to say about Merri Dee Cause Of Death;
“With great sadness, our family announces the loss of our beloved matriarch, the brightest light in our lives, Merri Dee, who died peacefully in her sleep at home,” read a statement from Dee’s family.
“As you can imagine our family is simply heartbroken and ask for privacy at this time.”
Dee was described as a “one-of-a-kind legend,” by WGN-TV.
“From WGN staff announcer to hosting parade telecasts, telethons, and even the Illinois Lottery drawings, she was synonymous with WGN-TV.
“She was groundbreaking in the broadcasting field and an inspiration to several generations of young women.
“Among her greatest legacies as Director of Community Relations, she spoke at thousands of events and helped raise over $30million dollars for WGN-TV Children’s Charities, benefitting various organizations throughout Chicagoland. Merri Dee was a pioneer who will be greatly missed.”
Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot also paid tribute in a statement: “Mrs. Dee was a homegrown, broadcasting legend whose time as an anchor and radio and talk show host made her a beloved, local celebrity.
“In addition to her television and radio work, she also made a huge impact on communities across our city and state through a number of philanthropic pursuits that reflected her passion for protecting vulnerable individuals such as children in need of adoptive homes.
“Mrs. Dee has truly made a positive and indelible mark on our city and inspired countless others to follow in her footsteps. We offer our deepest condolences to her loved ones during this difficult time.”
Who was Merri Dee?
Dee worked on-air for WGN-TV in the 1970s and 1980s before becoming the station’s director of community relations.
Mary Francine Dorham was born on October 30, 1936, in Chicago, Illinois, to postal worker John Blouin and Ethel Dorham.
Dee was the youngest of six children, and she grew up in New Orleans after her mother died in 1939.
After her father remarried four years later, Dee claims her stepmother abused her and then placed her in an orphanage.
After graduating from high school, Dee returned to Chicago as a teenager and went on to Xavier University to study business administration.
She dropped out of school to care for her siblings and went to work as a salesperson for IBM.
Dee got her first hosting job at WBEE in Harvey, Illinois, and went on to become somewhat of a radio celebrity in Chicago.
Dee began hosting The Merri Dee Show, a local chat show on the then-independent station WSNS, in 1971.
After taking a year off to recover from her kidnapping and gunshot, she returned to television in 1972, becoming an anchor for the newscast of then-independent channel WGN-10 pm TV.
She spent 11 years at the station, filling various on-air positions until becoming director of community development and manager of WGN-TV Children’s Charities, where she remained until her retirement in the fall of 2008.
