Remembering Merritt Butrick

One of Hollywood’s brightest stars was snatched away from us 32 years ago. Merritt Butrick was my friend. He was genuinely hilarious, quite possibly the funniest human being I have ever met. He was so care-free that it was hard to imagine any of life’s troubles ever bothered him. Merritt loved life and was determined to experience it to the fullest.

I met Merritt when I was searching for celebrity guests to appear at a charity science fiction convention I was producing. He was recommended to me by a mutual friends, which meant a lot in the pre-Internet days when contacting a celebrity proved to be a challenge. As any respectable Star Trek fan would known, Merritt portrayed David Marcus, the illegitimate son of Captain James T. Kirk, in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek III: Search for Spock.

Merritt Butrick as Dr. David Marcus (Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan)

My initial telephone conversation with Merritt sealed our friendship. He was polite, entertaining, and extremely helpful to an amateur producer putting together his first convention. Merritt was so generous with his time, his ideas, and suggestions to make the convention a big success. I will forever be indebted to him for educating me as he did. We met several months later and he was every bit as down-to-Earth as I expected him to be. He looked thin, but most celebrities change appearance all the time depending on upcoming roles.

During the six-months of pre-production, Merritt stayed in contact with me, continued with his suggestions, and basically had a personal commitment to making sure our convention was a success. He wanted me to know he was fully onboard with our idea, our charity, and our fans. I called him often just to be my sounding board for ideas. He never expected more money, never refused a call, and never rushed me through a conversation. He was golden.

I called Merritt about two months before the convention to begin arranging flights from Los Angeles to St. Louis. His fiancee answered and told me he was sick and couldn’t talk. She took a message and called me back the next day with his travel requests. It was three weeks before Merritt and I spoke again–and neither of us knew that it would be for the last time.

Merritt said he was excited to do the convention, but that he was still suffering from something that had sapped his energy and was keeping him close to home. He suggested a couple of actor friends as possible alternates in case he wasn’t up to traveling. With each name he proposed, Merritt also reassured me that come Hell or high water, he would be there. He had no intention of missing my first production. We agreed to speak again soon.

Merritt Richard Butrick died two weeks later.

His fiancee called to tell me the next morning. I was devastated. We hadn’t been friends for a long time, but Merritt Butrick was my friend. Now, he was gone.

Our charity convention went on as planned two months later with Ike Eisenmann (Star Trek II: TWOK, Escape to Witch Mountain) stepping in at the last moment. We remembered Merritt throughout the convention and made sure that everyone received a complimentary photo of him.

In fact, those photos were a statement of Merritt’s generosity. When I asked him for a head shot to copy for the the convention, he sent me a dozen color photo slides of his last photo shoot. These were the originals and had never been released before. He told me to keep them and he would pick them up later. His fiancee told me to keep them… and I still treasure them.

I did not know Merritt for a long time, but I remember him all these decades later. During that time, I have met and worked with hundreds of celebrities, many of whom were equally friendly and entertaining. I have never met any that surpassed Merritt’s kindest and humanity. He was–and remains–a titan to me.

Merritt Butrick died on March 17, 1989 from complications of AIDS at a time when little was known about it. Rest in peace my friend.

Rest in peace Merritt.