Sadly, news came in just after we had just completed the latest edition of Life Elsewhere, that celebrated crossword constructor Merl Reagle
In 2006, he was featured in a documentary, Wordplay, that focused on the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, for which he was a judge and commentator. After the documentary came out, James L. Brooks, the main producer on The Simpsons, saw it and liked it enough to create an episode of the cartoon featuring Merl.
Merl Reagle was hospitalized, this past Thursday with acute pancreatitis. He died Saturday morning in a Tampa hospital. He was 65. It was our honor to have been able to spend time with Merl and his wife. Our sincerest condolences to Marie Haley and Merl‘s family.
Life Elsewhere 
I found merl back around 1983 or thereabouts in a Dell crossword magazine and have solved (Read: attempted) his puzzles right up to his death. What a terrific puzzlemaker! Every Sunday morning for forever it seems I solved his puzzles. I was always a couple /three letters short but what a great exercise from a man who could make words sing. It was such an empty feeling this morning not finding his puzzle and then reading what happened to him. Its been over 30 years since I started with merl and it really seems like I’ve lost a lifelong friend