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Business Insider
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Dick Van Dyke's wife says there's a 'curse' that comes with her husband living to almost 100
Dick Van Dyke may be 99 years old and leading an active life, but longevity comes with its own set of challenges too. During a "Dick & Arlene Van Dyke Present Vandy Camp" event in California, the actor and his wife, Arlene, spoke about the heartbreaking reality that comes with him living to almost 100. Van Dyke reflected on the death of his longtime friend Ed Asner and shared that they were supposed to remake "The Odd Couple," a 1965 Broadway play about two roommates that has been adapted into a movie and a TV sitcom over the years. Asner died in 2021 at the age of 91. "That would've been such fun, and we lost it. I've lost a lot of friends," Van Dyke said, per People. "He's outlived everybody," his wife, 53, said. "That's the curse of living to almost 100." Despite losing so many friends and costars over the years, the " Mary Poppins" star is "still so positive," she said. "Well, life's been good to me. I can't complain," he added. This isn't the first time that Van Dyke has spoken about aging and longevity. In a 2023 CBS interview, the "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" actor said he would have taken better care of himself if he had known he was going to live such a long life. He also reflected on outliving his friends Norman Lear, who died a few weeks before the interview, and Carl Reiner, who died in 2020 at 98. "Everybody I knew and worked with, there's no one left," Van Dyke said. In 2024, Van Dyke told Entertainment Tonight that regular exercise has been the "secret" to his longevity. "I've often tried to think, 'What did I do to live this long?' and I can't figure out," he said. "The only thing is I've always exercised. We still go to the gym three days a week and work out." According to the CDC, the average life expectancy in the US is 74.8 years for males and 80.2 years for females. However, the number of centenarians in the US is projected to increase from 107,000 in 2025 to about 444,000 in 2055, per estimates from the United States Census Bureau. But living that long often means outliving friends, partners, and peers, making loneliness a growing concern among older Americans. Additionally, Rose Anne Kenny, a professor at Trinity College Dublin whose work focuses on aging, said that research has shown that having social interactions and good friendships could be as important as exercise and diet for longevity. Several baby boomers told BI that they are finding budget-friendly ways to maintain a healthy social life, including taking up new hobbies and returning to work. A representative for Van Dyke did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by BI outside regular hours.
Metro
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Dick Van Dyke, 99, shares rare insight into 'curse' of living until almost 100
Dick Van Dyke has opened up about the 'curse' of living until 100, as he prepares for his milestone birthday. The legendary actor is set to turn 100 in December, and has shown no signs of slowing down just yet. During an appearance at a Q&A session in Malibu beside his wife, Arlene Van Dyke, the 99-year-old reflected on his decades-long career as one of the biggest names in Hollywood. Shedding light on projects that didn't see the light of day, the Mary Poppins icon touched on the downside of aging. According to People Magazine, he explained that he was set to team up with Ed Asher for a remake of beloved sitcom The Odd Couple before his pal's death in 2021, at the age of 91. 'That would've been such fun, and we lost it. I've lost a lot of friends,' he told the crowd at the Dick and Arlene Van Dyke Present Vandy Camp event. 'He's outlived everybody,' Arlene, 53, interjected. 'That's the curse of living to almost 100.' Although the star, who has also appeared in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Diagnosis Murder, has lost so many loved ones over the years, Arlene shared that he has kept a 'positive' outlook on life. 'Well, life's been good to me,' he noted. 'I can't complain.' Speaking to People Magazine at the event, Dick touched on why he has shunned the idea of a quiet retirement and some much-deserved rest. 'I'm a ham,' he added of his reign in the spotlight. 'I love it. I get a jolt of energy from an audience.' Dick began his career in the late 1940s and has never looked back – he landed a string of roles on the small screen before going on to make his Broadway debut in 1959 with a stint in The Girls Against The Boys. He starred in both the stage and film adaptations of Bye Bye Birdie in the early 60s, while also helming his own CBS series, the Dick Van Dyke show – which won a string of Emmys. The superstar stole the show as chimney sweep Bert in Mary Poppins, in 1964, and delighted fans when he popped up in the 2018 remake sequel Mary Poppins Returns, beside Emily Blunt, Ben Whishaw, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Dame Julie Walters. Throughout his impressive career, he has been celebrated a number of times, winning big at the Golden Globes and claiming a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He also has a Tony Award and a Grammy in his trophy cabinet – meaning he is only an Oscar away from landing the coveted EGOT status. More Trending Just last year, Dick made history by becoming the oldest Daytime Emmy winner ever at 98, after taking home the gong for his guest spot on Days of Our Lives. In a brief stint in the long-running soap opera, he played amnesiac Timothy Robicheaux – but only agreed to appear after a friend suggested he should take part. 'I said great and it snowballed into this,' the star quipped at the award ceremony, while performing a jig with his newly acquired hardware. 'I'm 98 years old. Can you believe it?' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Elizabeth Hurley and Billy Ray Cyrus look loved-up during first outing as couple MORE: Demi Lovato marries boyfriend Jordan Lutes in fairytale wedding after 'waiting whole life for him' MORE: Chrissy Teigen shocks fans with photo of bandaged face after undergoing cosmetic procedure
Daily Mail
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Dick Van Dyke, 99, makes rare remark on his and wife Arlene's 46-year age gap
Beloved actor, singer and dancer, Dick Van Dyke, shared some rare insight into his relationship with wife Arlene Silver. While reflecting on their 13-year marriage, the Hollywood legend, 99, gushed to People that he and his spouse, 53, 'get along so well.' 'Everybody said it wouldn't work,' Van Dyke recalled, before Silver chimed in to say. 'Yeah, I mean it's like eerie how well it works. People the same age don't last.' She also raved that they 'just care about each other so much' and are 'very supportive of each other.' 'He's made me feel like I can do anything,' she said. Van Dyke noted that they both 'just love being home' and described Malibu as their 'favorite place.' 'We're so grateful. Our house did get hit by the Franklin fire, but in the scheme of things, we got very lucky,' he said at Dick & Arlene Van Dyke Present Vandy Camp. On Sunday, the couple hosted the second 'Vandy Camp' to aid fire relief in Malibu. During the fundraiser, Van Dyke took to the stage in front of a sold out crowd with his wife Arlene and his a cappella band, The Vantastix. The group sang songs, answered audience questions and shared memories of the 99-year-old's life and career. Ticket proceeds benefitted the Community Brigade and CA Wildlife relief - as efforts to rebuild continue after the devastating fires in Los Angeles earlier this year. For the occasion, he sported a 'Spoonful of Sugar' sweater and opened the show singing about senility and joking about how he struggled to remember things. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight last year, Van Dyke recalled his first encounter with Silver. 'I never approached a strange woman in my life,' the legendary Chitty Chitty Bang Bang star said. 'And she walked by and I jumped and I said, "Hi, I'm Dick." I had no idea she was half my age. Beautiful.' The Dick Van Dyke show actor said he later found out Arlene was a makeup artist. 'She had one [business] card left, which I took and hired her,' he added. 'I had never seen the Dick Van Dyke Show, I never saw anything he was in,' Silver said while speaking about meeting her husband for the first time. But they didn't start dating right away. They developed a friendship and by the time things turned romantic between them, their big age difference didn't matter to them or to any of Arlene's friends. 'We were friends for so long that when I told people that I know, they were happy about [our relationship], and I was scared,' Silver admitted. Meanwhile, Silver previously told The Huffington Post that she remembers seeing Van Dyke for the first time 'at the catering table with his bow tie and his big smile.' 'Right when I sat down, he was sitting next to me. He said, "Hi, I'm Dick." The first thing I asked him was, "Weren't you in Mary Poppins?"' During his career, that spans more than seven decades, Van Dyke earned five Emmys, a Tony, a Grammy, a BAFTA, the SAG Lifetime Achievement Award, and induction into the Television Hall Of Fame, which was due in large part to his role as Rob Petrie in The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961-1966), as well as The New Dick Van Dyke Show (1971-1974) and The Carol Burnett Show (1977). The actor's most recent project is a role in the upcoming film, Capture The Flag, which is currently in pre-production. Van Dyke and Silver will celebrate 10 years of marriage next February. He has four children: sons Barry and Christian and daughters Stacy and Carrie that were born during his first marriage to Margie Willett, which lasted from 1948 until their divorce in 1984. The proud family man now also has five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. The acting icon will turn 100 in December.
