On October 26, 1949, Merrick married producer Robert Goelet Jr. in Europe.[4] Both unions were childless. In 1950, Merrick received emergency treatment at Santa Monica Hospital after taking an overdose of sleeping pills. A news story distributed by International News Service described the overdose as "the climax to a spat with her husband, wealthy Robert Goelet."[7]

Merrick died on March 25, 2007, at age 87, at her home in West Palm Beach, Florida.[8] Her remains were cremated and her ashes scattered