Dick Clark 1929-2012

[Zoneboy]

Link


LOS ANGELES (WABC) -- ABC News has learned Dick Clark has died from a massive heart attack.

His agent Paul Scheffrin confirmed the death.


The following statement was released: Entertainment Icon Dick Clark passed away this morning (Wednesday) at the age of 82 following a massive heart attack it was announced by his family. Clark, 82, had entered St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica last night for an outpatient procedure. Attempts to resuscitate were unsuccessful. He is survived by his wife Kari and his three children, RAC, Duane and Cindy.

[MrCleveland]

New Years will NEVER be the same!

[Regulus]

Dick Clark

[megamanj2004]

The sadder part of about this is that Pyramid will celebrate it's 40th Anniversary overall next year and Clark's not gonna be around to soak in that glory.

R.I.P. Dick Clark.

[old grouch]

How sad. He was America's oldest living teenager. RIP.

[howierules86]

Very sad news indeed. In addition to New Year's Rockin' Eve, I know I'll never forget watching practically any game show he hosted, including his versions of Pyramid (particularly the 1982-88 versions), and even short-lived ones such as The Challengers in 1990 and Scattergories in 1993.

[AB]

Such very sad news, may he rest in peace.

[catlover79]

[TVLOVER4LIFE]

R.I.P Dick "Richard Wagstaff" Clark
(1929-2012)

[LeeBlue]

Dick Clark came across as a smart and charming man.

R.I.P. Mr. Clark

[70s show watcher]

rip mr clark thats for being such a big part of our growing up you sure will be missed

[monkeefan]

I was chatting with my Dad online, as usual, when all of a sudden, he told me that Dick Clark had died today at age 82.

Reputable outlets such as CNN & MSNBC confirmed the Sad News, saying that the legendary TV personality & game show host died of a Massive Heart Attack at his Malibu home while recuperating from an undisclosed outpatient surgery at a local Hospital.

Born in Mount Vernon, New York on November 30, 1929, Richard Wagstaff Clark was the youngest of 2 boys born to the late Julie Fuller and Richard Augustus Clark (the elder son, Bradley, was killed fighting for our Country during World War II).

In 1947, at age 17, Dick began his career in Broadcasting as a Radio DJ in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where less than a decade later, just prior to becoming exactly my age (27) in 1956, he was hired by local TV Station WFIL-TV to host a local Dance show called Bandstand, replacing recent Drunk Driving convict Bob Horn as the shows host; within a year, the show went national, becoming American Bandstand on August 5, 1957 and enjoying a 30-year reign every Saturday afternoon before being canceled in 1987, citing the audience was too old (not too small in the Nielsens), after which Dick Clark continued hosting the show in first-run syndication for another year before stepping down in Summer 1988, replaced by David Hirsch, an aspiring actor, when the show aired briefly on the USA Television Network during the Spring of 1989, taped at Universal Studios Hollywood.

During his American Bandstand days, Dick Clark found the time to launch a 2nd career as a game show host, most notably as host of the Pyramid game show from 1973-1988.

He also teamed up with the late Ed McMahon to host TV Bloopers & Practical Jokes, airing in one form or another from 1984-2003 (FYI: In the Blooper shows he co-hosted with Ed McMahon, Dick dropped his trademark For now, Dick Clark...so long line he had said throughout his entire entertainment career, simply saying Good night after McMahon said Good Night, Everybody at the end of each show).

After leaving Pyramid, Dick Clark conceived a TV game show for Buena Vista Television, the parent company of The Walt Disney Company, called The Challengers (based on Current Events topics), which aired during the Fall 1990 TV season, lasting only a single season on TV.

Dick also appeared as an actor via the 1960 Multiplex picture Because Theyre Young, as well as portraying the bad guy in the last original episode of Perry Mason in 1966.

In addition to his family of fans (myself included), Dick is survived by his wife of 35 years, Kari Wigdon (who he married on 7/7/77 at his then-current home address of PO Box 7777), as well as 2 grown children, Duane & Cindy Clark, from his 2nd marriage to Loretta Martin, which ended in divorce in 1973 after 11 years of marriage, along with a grown son, Richard Augustus Clark II (a.k.a. Dick, Jr.) from his first marriage to high-school sweetheart Barbara Mallery, which ended in divorce in 1961 after 9 years of marriage.

[AKA]

You do realize that there are already several threads about this, don't you? Including one that was at the top of this very board when you decided to post this. Why not respond to an existing thread?

[Zoneboy]

Originally Posted by Brad

You do realize that there are already several threads about this, don't you? Including one that was at the top of this very board when you decided to post this. Why not respond to an existing thread?

Agreed, I started a thread in this forum almost 6 hours before you did and Brad started one in chit-chat just a few minutes before mine. A newsworthy passing such as that of Mr. Clark will not go several hours without someone here starting a thread about it and it's usually within minutes after it makes the headlines.

[Schmoopie]

I appreciate that you started the thread and it certainly deserves more than one, but I'm curious... why the "For now..." in the title? Unless I'm just missing something. Not trying to be mean or nitpicky. Just thought it was kind of a strange way to title a thread about the passing of an icon.