Dick Van Dyke A MAGICAL 98 Years

THE BELOVED PERFORMER SHARES HIS THOUGHTS ON HIS LONG CAREER AND HIS SECRETS FOR A HAPPY LIFE

- LOUISE A. BARILE

As Dick Van Dyke approached his 98th birthday this month, he resolved to make the most of every moment. “I realize I don’t have a future, which makes me much more eager to live in the present,” the legendary performer told Closer.

Dick may not be in the habit of looking back, but his admirers feel differently. After all, he has brought laughter and delight to fans for more than six decades. To mark his latest milestone, a celebration of his career highlights, Dick Van Dyke 98 Years of Magic, will air Dec. 21 at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. “The emphasis will be about the music and everything he touched — from Bye Bye Birdie to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to Mary Poppins,” executive producer Craig Plestis, who rounded up a who’s who of entertainers to pay tribute to Dick in this two-hour special, tells Closer. “Unlike any other performer alive today, he really is one of the last living legends.” 

Dick is also one of the best loved. “Out of everyone I’ve ever met in Hollywood, he’s the nicest man,” says Plestis. “He’s a gentleman, he wants to do good, he wants to do family-friendly programming, and he’s just a good person. It’s nice to see one of the good guys last so long.”

A FAMILY MAN