"His body will be taken to Mumbai, his birthplace, in a couple of days for burial," Merchant's brother-in-law Waheed Chauhan said.
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The 68-year-old producer-director died at the Queen Elizabeth hospital when an ulcer burst.
Merchant had been reportedly suffering from stomach ailments for the last few days. He had recently undergone a surgery for abdominal ulcers.
Born in Mumbai on December 25, 1936, Merchant has lived and worked for most of his life in the West, completing his education at New York University, where he did his MBA.
Merchant, in partnership with American producer James Ivory, made some 40 films together, including A Room With A View, Howard's End, both based on E M Forster's novels, Heat And Dust, starring Shashi Kapoor, and The Remains Of The Day.
The Mystic Masseur, based on a novel by Nobel Laureate Sir V S Naipaul, is Merchant's last work as director. It was released in 2002.
Photograph: Getty Images