Merv Adelson, Lorimar Co-Founder Behind ‘Waltons,’ Dies at 85

Merv Adelson, a grocer’s son who became a Las Vegas real-estate developer and Hollywood producer of shows such as “Dallas” and “The Waltons,” living on a grand scale until he filed for bankruptcy in 2003, has died at 85.

Adelson died of complications from cancer, according to the New York Times, citing a spokeswoman of his former business partner. First in Las Vegas, where he became known for doing business with suspected organized-crime figures, and then in Hollywood, where he tried to shed that reputation, Adelson was famous for big deals and high living.