Musician Alan Merrill Has Died Due to Complications From the Coronavirus

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that Alan Merrill died on Sunday due to complications from coronavirus. He was 69.

According to Deadline, Merrill's daughter, Laura Merrill, confirmed the news on Facebook.

"The Coronavirus took my father this morning," Laura said in her Facebook post. "I was given 2 minutes to say my goodbyes before I was rushed out. He seemed peaceful and as I left there was still a glimmer of hope that he wouldn't be a ticker on the right hand side of the CNN/Fox news screen."

Merrill was a member of the band The Arrows. He wrote the song "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" which the band released in 1975. The song later became a chart topper for Joan Jett & The Blackhearts in 1982.

In addition, Merrill teamed up with producer Rick Derringer for three albums and in 1983, recorded a self-titled solo album.

He also worked with Meat Loaf on many projects, and was offered a role on the HBO series Encyclopedia Brown as Casey Sparkz in 1989. He continued to release albums in the late '90s and through the 2000s.

Merrill hosted the television series, Across the Pond, for the MyJam Music Network.

Read more on Deadline.

To post a comment, you must register and login.