Vale: Dick Clark
US TV producer and host Dick Clark, affectionately dubbed "America's oldest living teenager," has died following a heart attack. He was 82.
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US TV producer and host Dick Clark, affectionately dubbed “America’s oldest living teenager,” has died following a heart attack. He was 82.
He had suffered a stroke in 2004 and had struggled with the effects ever since.
Clark hosted American Bandstand for more than three decades starting in the 1950s as well as game shows and The Dick Clark Show in 1958.
Forever associated with American rock and roll, he earned a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame along the way.
“Dick Clark was significant in transforming the record business into an international industry,” reads the Hall of Fame’s citation. “His weekly televised record hops — which predated MTV by 25 years — played an integral role in establishing rock and roll, keeping it alive and shaping its future.”
But he was even more successful behind the scenes after starting Dick Clark Productions in 1957, supplying movies, game and music shows, beauty contests and more to TV. Among his credits: The $25,000 Pyramid, TV’s Bloopers and Practical Jokes and the American Music Awards.
He sold the company in 2007 for $175 million.
He was also associated with New Year’s Eve, with Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve show marked its 40th anniversary this year.
“Dick Clark was a true pioneer who revolutionized the way we listened to and consumed music,” record executive Clive Davis said in a statement. “For me he ranks right up there with the giants of our business.”
“He is the marriage of television and rock ‘n’ roll,” said comedy writer Bruce Vilanch in a 1997 interview with The Times. “Those two things started at more or less the same time, and up to the point when MTV started, he was the most visible link between them, and the most powerful one.”
Ryan Seacrest gave a statement to CNN expressing deep sadness for “the loss of my dear friend Dick Clark.”
“He has truly been one of the greatest influences in my life,” Seacrest said. “I idolized him from the start, and I was graced early on in my career with his generous advice and counsel. When I joined his show in 2006, it was a dream come true to work with him every New Year’s Eve for the last 6 years.”
“It’s a fascinating life,” Clark once said in 1997. “And it’s a reflection, probably, of my odd nature. I’m a case study for a Type A personality. I have a short attention span, I love activity, I’m into all sorts of strange and wonderful things.”
Source: LA Times
4 Responses
Yet another who found fame and fortune by never overestimating the audience’s intelligence. He knew there was always room for more schmaltz in American TV, and he supplied it by the truckload for decades.
This is sad news!! I didn’t know this happened and am sadden by it!
I used to love the show American Dreams, starring Brittany Snow as a teenager dancing on American Bandstand. Dick Clark Productions also produced it.
Wow that is huge news – he was an American icon and institution! He is in the same league as Johnny Carson, Ed Sullivan, Walter Knronkite and Merv Griffin in terms of profile and impact on American television. As a producer, presenter and advocate. That will be big big news in America. Massive loss.