Originally from New York, both of Merlin's parents are from the Dominican Republic. His mother pushed for a career in show business to keep him out of trouble and off the mean streets. He began as an advertising model for a fast food chain at the age of 3. He first began getting noticed as Stanley, one of Rudy's admirers on the hit TV show, "The Cosby Show" (1984). At 15, he co-starred in the short-lived sitcom, "Getting By" (1993), alongside Cindy Williams and 'Thelma Hopkins' . His best known role came in 1996 on the popular WB series, "The Steve Harvey Show" (1996), as the smooth-talking Romeo Santana. Merlin was shot to death on November 9, 2002 in Los Angeles, while sitting in a car passenger's seat. He was only 26-years-old.