After he left show business he became the public relations director for Sea World in Orlando, Florida.
Grant was killed in a road accident on October 30, 1985 while on his way to watch the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger at Cape Canaveral. He was to be honored by the shuttle astronauts for his achievements.
He was chosen as the male winner of Jesse L. Lasky's "Gateway to Hollywood" radio talent search in July, 1939. His reward was membership in the Screen Actor's Guild and the stage name "Robert Stanton", which he used for several years before reverting to his birth name. The female winner of the same contest was a woman named Dorothy Howe who became Virginia Vale.