ROCK N’ ROLL ICON DICK CLARK DIES AT AGE 82
Rock n’ roll icon and TV and radio pioneer Dick Clark died on Wednesday, April 18th of a heart attack in Santa Monica, California at age 82. The Associated Press reported that Clark’s death came a day after being admitted for an outpatient procedure. Clark, affectionately known as “America’s Oldest Teenager,” is survived by his wife Kari, and his three children Richard Augustus II, Duane, and Cindy. Memorial plans have yet to be announced.
In 2005, Clark returned to his Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rocking’ Eve special after missing the 2004 broadcast, due to a stroke, which forced him to skip his first broadcast in 32 years. Clark was once again back in Times Square this year, along with co-host Ryan Seacrest, to ring in 2012.
Seacrest issued a statement yesterday, saying:
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend Dick Clark. He has truly been one of the greatest influences in my life. 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 six years. He was smart, charming, funny and always a true gentleman. I learned a great deal from him, and I’ll always be indebted to him for his faith and support of me. He was a remarkable host and businessman and left a rich legacy to television audiences around the world. We will all miss him.”
Beach Boys frontman Mike Love‘s relationship with Dick Clark spanned nearly six decades, with the two developing a long lasting relationship both personally and professionally. Love explained that before the concept of a multi-faceted entertainment mogul being the standard in the business, Dick Clark invented the role: [“Dick was always the nicest guy, but he was always the (laughs) smartest guy in the industry, I think. I mean, at one time, he had so much going with record production and ownership, as well as his radio and his television — and touring! He’s the most productive guy in the industry, I think. To the point where, at one point, that he had to give up his record interests because he did in fact have the TV shows, y’know — American Bandstand — and the touring, and the radio shows and stuff.
Love explained that with Dick Clark, what you saw was definitely what you got: [“The thing I remember most about him was just how personable and how gentlemanly, and how nice he was when you’d meet him. And here’s the guy who’s a very powerful guy in the business and could be very helpful to you — or not, if the case may be. But he was always very kind and very helpful to the Beach Boys. I actually met with him on other occasions, too, talking about projects and stuff, but just could not have been a nicer person.
Love and the Beach Boys appeared numerous times on assorted Dick Clark TV productions, starting off with their 1964 appearance on American Bandstand. He told us that Clark played a significant role in helping shape the way America listens to and sees music: [“I think we did ‘Don’t Worry Baby’ on one of those shows (laughs). It’s pretty cheesy — there’s no production value there, but hey, it’s what the kids wanted. They wanted to see the people who recorded the music. So that was the brilliance of that show, however simple it was, however lightweight in the production part of it, it was an opportunity for all of us to see these various performers do their thing on TV, to get a glimpse of ’em. But it was a great opportunity at a very early stage of rock music for all of us to be able to see each other doing our things, y’know, and the public, as well.
Barry Manilow, one of Clark’s many longtime friends and supporters, was proud of Clark’s quick return to the airwaves following his stroke: [“When one of those things hit, they stop you, and he’s a real trooper. He’s a real trooper. He’d much rather be up there producing this thing than sitting there and I think he was a real trooper.
FRIENDS & FANS REMEMBER DICK CLARK
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer: “RIP Dick Clark, an American icon & great NY’er who grew up in Mt. Vernon, went to Syracuse U & got his start at WKTV. You will be missed.”
Heart‘s Ann Wilson: “Back in the 1960’s the pop culture catch-phrase was ‘Never trust anyone over 30’. Dick Clark was trustworthy all the way home. Rock on Sir!”
Gloria Estefan: “Our sincerest condolences to Dick Clark’s wife, Kari, his family & all who loved & admired him which includes the whole Estefan clan!”
Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff: “As fellow Philadelphians, we have admired Dick Clark and the American Bandstand brand for many years, as it promoted Philadelphia music around the nation. Dick Clark was one of our inspirations for creating the ‘Sound of Philadelphia’ music brand. More importantly, we thank him for being one of the pioneers in promoting the Philly Dance and Music scene for the nation and world to enjoy. We send our sincere and deepest condolences to Dick Clark’s family.”
Snoop Dogg: “REST IN PEACE to the DICK CLARK!! U were pioneer n a good man!! Thank u sir”
Blake Shelton: “So proud I had the chance to shake hands with Dick Clark in my lifetime… Great man.”
Rob Thomas: “The end of an era. R.I.P. Dick Clark.”
Chris Daughtry: “RIP Mr. Dick Clark. You will be missed”
Jerry Gross of The Dovells: “Dick Clark was a legend who helped a lot of acts, including us, gain stardom and have many, many hit records. The entertainment world will sorely miss Dick Clark. The Dovells did many tours with Dick Clark in the ’60s and in the ’70s, including the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars. We were one of his favorite acts. Dick always called us when he needed a high energy act. He called us the Bowery Boys. We were on the Dick Clark tour that pulled into Dallas at 7 a.m. the day President Kennedy was shot. We were just blocks from the shooting, and of course, our show that evening was canceled.”
Joan Rivers: “Very sad to hear about Dick Clark. What a great life. What a great career. Relevant until the end. He will be missed!”
William Shatner: “My condolences go out to the family of Dick Clark. My best, Bill”
Neil Patrick Harris: “For ever, Dick Clark… So long.”
Roseanne Barr: “dick clark RIP – always a nice man to me”
Al Roker: “I got to meet him many times. One that always sticks out: I was meeting w/Dick in his office as the O.J. verdict was announced. It was surreal. First (Soul Train creator) Don Cornelius, now Dick Clark. Two true broadcasting pioneers and giants, both gone.”
Mario Lopez: “Just heard the news of Dick Clark. It was truly an honor to have worked with him, learn from him and to be able to call him a friend. He was a great man and an even better friend. The word legend is thrown around a lot, but it’s never more appropriate than when used in describing Mr. Clark. . . He was a real inspiration & influence in my life. I will dearly miss my friend. . . Rest well DC.”
- Simon Cowell paid tribute to Clark’s accomplishments at the 2006 Emmy Awards: [“Simply being America’s oldest living teenager was never enough for Dick Clark. He would approach television from every side. As a host, and eventually as one of the most successful executives and entrepreneurs, even as an actor, he owned his shows. He even owned a holiday, making New Year’s Rockin’ Eve his very own.
- Dick Clark was born Richard Wagstaff Clark on November 30th, 1929 in Mount Vernon, New York and started his career at age 16 working in the mail room of a radio station in Utica, New York. He received his bachelor’s degree at nearby Syracuse, New York. By 1952, he was on the air, hosting theCaravan Of Music, a local radio show in Philadelphia. At the time, the station’s television affiliate had a teenage dance show called Bandstand, and in 1956, at the age of 26, Dick Clark took over as permanent host of the show.
- With Clark’s magnetic personality and love of music, the show became the highest rated program in its time slot in the Philadelphia area. These ratings led to the show being picked up by the ABC television network, which distributed it nationally in August 1957 as American Bandstand. The show became wildly popular with teenagers, who finally had an outlet to dance to the newest music and see some of the biggest acts perform live on the show. It was one of ABC’s longest running daytime programs, with it’s original run ending in 1987, before a brief shot in syndication and then the USA Network
- Over the course of the show’s 30 years, artists who performed on American Bandstand includedFrankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell, the Beach Boys, Chubby Checker, Dion & the Belmonts,Buddy Holly, James Brown, Aretha Franklin, the Monkees, Stevie Wonder, the Jackson Five,the Doors, Donna Summer, Hall & Oates, John Cougar Mellencamp, Madonna, and literallyhundreds of others.
- In 1964, American Bandstand moved to Los Angeles, where it would remain until 1989 when the show was canceled. It was in Los Angeles that Clark established Dick Clark Productions, which over the years has produced everything from music shows, including the American Music Awards, to sitcoms, syndicated game shows like the $10,000 Pyramid, and the ’80s NBC hit, TV’s Bloopers And Practical Jokes. In 1974, after ABC lost the broadcast rights to the Grammy Awards, Clark created theAmerican Music Awards specifically for the network. Dick Clark Productions also produced such perennials as the Academy of Country Music and Golden Globe awards.
- Billboard reported that the Museum of Broadcast Communications calculated that Dick Clark Productions produced over 7,500 hours of TV programming, “including more than 30 series and 250 specials, as well as more than 20 movies for theatre and TV.”
- Not long before his stroke, we asked Dick Clark to recall one of the most memorable moments from the American Music Awards: [“One of the things that was most memorable was the night we did the ‘We Are The World’ thing (in 1985) right after we had so many of the artists on theAmerican Music Awards. . . They all retired to A&M studios to record that record-breaking record. That was quite a memorable year.
- Despite his high-profile TV career, Dick Clark stayed very connected to the airwaves over the years. He was a part owner of United Stations Radio Networks, where he produced literally thousands of hours of quality radio, hosting such hit programs as Rock, Roll & Remember, U.S. Music Survey,Dick Clark’s Music Calendar, as well as contributing segments to Dick Clark Presents Rewind with Gary Bryan.
- In 1993, Clark was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer for his work in radio and TV.
- American Bandstand became one of television’s longest running music shows, and the first network series devoted exclusively to rock n’ roll. A few years ago, Clark explained how much the music scene has improved since the 1950s: [“Oh, music is a heck of a lot better these days than it ever was because there’s so much choice. In the old days, we got what was delivered to us and the one radio station played everything. Now you can tune to a specific format and get exactly what you want when you want it.
- Over the course of the show’s 30 years, with the earlier years broadcast from Philadelphia, some of the local artists who guested dozens of times included Frankie Avalon, Bobby Rydell, Chubby Checker, and Fabian.
- Chubby Checker says the importance of Dick Clark and American Bandstand should never be overlooked or underestimated: [“I went on Bandstand in Philadelphia and sang ‘The Twist,’ and the world changed that very moment, never to be the same again. American Bandstand is your first MTV, your American Bandstand is your first VH1, your American Bandstand is everything that dancing has become. I always say that Dick Clark’s success is Chubby Checker’s success. Why is that? Because history took place right on Bandstand and then dancing changed forever, and it never went back to where it was.
- Bobby Rydell says that Dick Clark had an uncanny knack of being able to pick his hit singles: [“Before ‘Kissin’ Time’ came out, Bernie Lowe, the owner of the company would take dubs of my first three recordings and Dick would listen to them and he would say, ‘No, it’s not in the grooves.’ And finally Bernie Lowe brought the dub down of ‘Kissin’ Time’ and Dick played the record and Dick said, ‘This is a hit.’ And then the record came out, Dick started playing it, y’know, on his TV show — on Bandstand — and the response to that is immediate!”]
- A few years back, Fabian remembered that auditioning for the host of American Bandstand was a somewhat intimidating experience: [“Dick was a, and still is, a very interesting guy. He wouldn’t let just anybody on his show, y’know, so you had to go for an interview with him first. And he had to hear the record and he played it right in front of you (laughs) and then you would get the OK or you wouldn’t get the OK. And I was so young, I didn’t know what all that meant, but I do now, and he was very excited and I guess there was something about me that he liked.
- Some time ago, Clark said that he’s proud to have been part of so many people’s New Year’s memories: [“I’ve always felt very honored to be connected with people’s New Year’s because in all honesty, it’s like being invited to somebody’s Bar Mitzvah or wedding — it’s a very personal experience.
- He admitted that there’s really nothing on Earth like being in the heart of Times Square when the ball drops on New Year’s Eve: [“There’s a certain amount of pain and joy in being there when the ball drops — mainly it’s cold usually or it’s rainy or it’s awful. . . that’s the bad part. The good part is that’s the thing that everybody is lookin’ for the world over. That is the place to be on New Year’s — Times Square and the ball drop.
