Dick Clark dead at 82
Dick Clark dead at 82.
Legendary icon, Dick Clark dead at 82 after suffering a heart attack. He was admitted to the hospital a day earlier for an outpatient procedure.
Many remember Dick Clark as the host of “American Bandstand” and most recently as the host of “New Years Rockin’ Eve however his career spanned over five decades.
Clark took over the local Philadelphia dance show Bandstand in October, 1956 and brought it to new heights receiving national exposure.
His boyish looks and engaging personality earned him the affectionate moniker of “the world’s oldest teenager”.
After forming Dick Clark Productions where he was Chairman and CEO, he began presenting game shows, made-for-TV movies, and variety programs, including The $25,000 Pyramid and TV’s Bloopers & Practical Jokes. Clark was also a staunch proponent of artistic rights and recognition and created the American Music Awards.
In 1993, Clark was inducted into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame.
He suffered a stroke late in 2004 that has lasting effects on his speech. Still impaired, Clark returned to his New Year’s Rockin’ Eve show on December 31, 2005 with host Ryan Seacrest assuming most of the duties. Seacrest has been long compared to the entertainment mogul and recalled his own memories,
“I remember as a kid standing in my living room with a pizza. Mom would leave 10 bucks on the table, order pizza with the babysitter and I was allowed to stay up and watch Dick Clark with the headset and the microphone and the big ABC logo.”
Clark, twice divorced, has a son Richard, with first wife Barbara Mallery and two children, Duane and Cindy, with second wife Loretta Martin. He married Kari Wigton in 1977.
Read more about Dick Clark at IMDB.
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