George Riley Mercer Jr was the father of American television personality and socialite Tinsley Mortimer. He married Dale Tatum Mercer, a socialite, and they had two children together, Tinsley Mortimer and Dabney Mercer. His exact date of birth is unknown, but he was born in the late 1940s.
Personal Life
George and his first wife, Dale Tatum, divorced after having some indifferences; he went on and started dating another woman. George met a surgeon named Catherine Stamatacos; they married, but their marriage was short-lived. While still married to Catherine, George Riley Mercer started dating Krissy Morrow, 34 years his junior.
Career
George Riley Mercer Jr was a successful businessman. His father founded Mercer Rug Cleaning in the 1930s, a company he inherited and became its principal owner. George was also into the real estate business and had established a real estate investment firm. He was also an architectural consultant and was part of the management of the George-Marshall Corporation.
George’s businesses were successful, and he made a lot of money used to cater to his family’s needs, but he later started drinking.
George’s Alcohol Addiction
Despite being a successful man, George Riley Mercer Jr was an extravagant man. He loved drinking. His drinking got out of hand, becoming an addiction; at one time, he was in Plaza Hotel, New York, where Michael Fredo was performing. After becoming drunk, he went to the stage and tried to sing; a few minutes he was kicked out of the Hotel
He often appeared in magazines because of his drinking problem. George Mercer’s daughter always had an issue with his drinking, she tried to take him out of it, but it was too late. Upon his death, Tinsley was adversely affected, and she found it hard to be around people with a drinking problem.
About Her Daughter
Tinsley Mortimer has a tough time dealing with her father’s death, but it’s something she has learned to live with; at first, she was angry with him for his drinking habit, but she has come to terms with that he is gone. Professionally, George Mercer’s daughter is doing well; she has significantly impacted the fashion industry.
George’s daughter worked at Vogue and was the beauty ambassador for fashion designer Christian Dior. Tinsley appeared in the reality series The Real Housewives of New York City and in High Society, a reality show featuring socialites Devorah Rose, Paul Johnson Calderon and her. George’s sister has also set up several clothing lines over the years.
Death
Due to his alcoholism, George Riley Mercer Jr fell one day while walking on the stairs. The fall damaged his frontal lobe; he was hospitalized while unconscious and fell into a coma. Health professionals would not help him recover, and he was subsequently taken to a hospice, where he died on March 26, 2015, aged 15.
George’s body was cremated, and his family kept the ashes. Tinsley mentioned that despite how her father was, she misses him, which is why she still keeps his ashes.
