Doris Day's grandson 'cut off' from seeing her in her final years alive: Details

Doris Day's grandson says he wasn't allowed to see his ailing grandmother in her final years alive.

Ryan Melcher, whose father is Day's late son, Terry Melcher, took to Facebook to reveal that he found out about the Hollywood legend's death at the age of 97 on Monday the same way the public did, via the news and social media.

"You see, I received the news of my grandmother’s passing like many of you -- I awoke and read the news in a social media feed Monday morning," he wrote. "Sadly, due to a divorce that I was thrown into the middle of while still an underaged child, I have not been allowed to see my grandmother for quite some time. When I was invited by Doris to dinner a few years ago after my father’s untimely death in November 2004 (melanoma), her new business manager, a former fan, intervened and asked me to meet him at the family owned Cypress Inn here in Carmel, California."

Credit: Getty Images

SEE ALSO: Here's why Doris Day won't be having a funeral

"I was asked by this man: 'Why do you want to see Doris?' I was shocked not only at the question, but also that it was coming from someone who was a stranger and outsider. I just responded, 'um....she is my grandmother!' He replied, 'I'm afraid you aren't going to be able to see your grandmother,' citing the divorce between my parents as his excuse," Melcher went on. "Looking back, I should have said more; should have drove to her home and not let a stranger come between us, but unfortunately the tall fences and 24-hour guard under her new business manager's direction prevented me taking a stand and reconnecting with my family. She had been so happy to talk to me and we were both excited for our upcoming dinner together just a week before, and this man was clearly manipulating the situation."

"All this to say: the dinner between my grandma and I never took place. Any and all communication was cut off from that point on and I was left bewildered. I later learned that the business manager had fired all the longstanding members on my grandma's Foundation board and appointed his direct family as the new board members. It seemed I was not the only one who had been cut out," he continued. "I tried for some time after this to get the word out about what transpired, however ultimately decided against causing any new emotional waves for my grandmother, who by that time was late in age. Also, from what I had heard around the community from in-the-know people, her mind had already begun slipping so I feared my outreach would only cause more stress due to the new folks surrounding her. I could not bring myself to continue to fight an uphill battle at the expense of her wellbeing or my family’s."

"I didn’t stand up for my family as I was young and still scarred; just a few years earlier while my father was very ill during the last years of his life, his wife blocked me from him, again using my involvement in my parent's divorce as a tool to divide us," Melcher added. "We later learned this woman had my father change his will, became executor of his estate and took control of our community property while preventing me from any contact with my own father. She attempted to have me arrested when I went to say goodbye to him on his deathbed. This has been a running theme in our family and a pattern I want to break."

SEE ALSO: 5 things you never knew about Doris Day

Melcher finished his lengthy social media reveal by reminiscing on his time with his beloved grandmother, noting that he'll be "forever grateful for the time" that he had with her early on in his life when his "family was so close."

Day's grandson's post follows Day's manager, Bob Bashara, revealing to People that the actress will not be having a funeral, memorial or grave marker following her death, per her own wishes, as she "had difficulty accepting death."

"She didn't like death, and she couldn't be with her animals if they had to be put down," Bashara explained, adding that she didn't "like to talk about" any plans that were to be made following her passing.

"I think it was because she was a very shy person," Bashara said when asked why she didn't want a funeral. "She never let her celebrity affect her and who she was, and she was always the little girl from Cincinnati who was extraordinarily talented and went out in the world and did what she loved to do despite herself."

"She was guileless, and I had discussions with her about how popular she was, and she would say, ‘I don’t understand it’ about why she was so loved," he went on. "She knew her fans loved her from all the letters, and that meant a lot to her."