He was a special friend of AVA Gabor.
http://images.google.ca/images?q=ava...+griffin&hl=en
and from may 2005
MERV GRIFFIN REGRETS AVA'S DEATH
Beloved US entertainer and game show creator MERV GRIFFIN has one regret in life - his longterm love AVA GABOR didn't live long enough to become his wife.
The two had been dating for some time when actress Gabor slipped, fell and died in 1995.
Griffin says, "I miss her a lot. We were together for a long time. We would have (married) had she lived."
But, at 80, Griffin insists this is only one small regret in a rich life.
He adds, "I love my life. When I look back on it, I like it. I don't have regrets."
And he has no plans to marry again: "I don't want to create a widow immediately."