  Merlin Santana (AKA Stanley; Rudy from "The Cosby Show"'s Boyfriend) Birthday: March 14, 1975 Birth Place: Bronx , NY Birth Name: Merlin Santana Date of death: November 9, 2002 Cause of death: Shot while sitting in a car On November 9, 2002 at 2:30 AM, Merlin was sitting in a parked car and a person approached the car and shot him (6 times according to one source).
He was DOA before help could come to his aid. The public did not find out until Monday morning. A woman was arrested early on Monday for possible connections to the murder. She was later charged and the police are currently looking for two men. He was buried 11-18-2002 and leaves behind a 7 year old daughter. AllHIPHOP.com features a story that may have lead to his death.
It is believed the young girl set him up to be robbed, but the end result was Merlin's death. Career accomplishments: Has recorded three rap albums that have not been released. Appeared in the 1999 Alaye calendar. Nominated for two NAACP Image Awards as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series (2001 & 2002) for his work on The Steve Harvey Show. Nominated for two ALMA Awards as Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series (1998 & 1999) for his work on The Steve Harvey Show. 
