Merlyn Mantle

Merlyn Mantle (née Johnson; January 28, 1932 – August 10, 2009) was an American author and widow of New York Yankees outfielder Mickey Mantle. She had a sister, Pat, who was three years her junior.

While attending high school, she met Mickey Mantle two years before his debut in Major League Baseball. Mantle died of liver cancer on August 13, 1995.

In 1996, Merlyn co-wrote a memoir of Mickey Mantle's life entitled Hero All His Life. The book was co-written with her sons, Danny Mantle and David Mantle, and writer Mickey Herskowitz.

Merlyn Mantle and Greer Johnson, Mickey Mantle's agent and former live-in aide, became involved in a legal dispute over the rights to auction off Mickey Mantle's possessions in 1997. The two sides reached a settlement, ensuring the sale of some of Mickey Mantle's belongings for approximately $500,000.

Merlyn Mantle's last public appearance was on August 5, 2008, at a dinner for the memorial service of former Yankees player Bobby Murcer. She was unable to attend Murcer's service the following morning because of health issues.

Death Merlyn Mantle died of pneumonia at a hospice in Plano, Texas, on August 10, 2009, at the age of 77. She had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease. She was interred next to her husband and two sons at Dallas's Sparkman-Hillcrest Memorial Park Cemetery.