Dick Van Dyke was born a century ago in 1925. He’s lived a life that’s impossible to imagine, working as a radio announcer for the US military during World War II and with a career in entertainment stretching back to the 1940s. At the grand old age of 99, he’s remarkably spry and active, regularly making public appearances to the delight of his fans.
But, given that he is 99, even the mildest health scare has the world extremely nervous. Van Dyke’s “Vandy Camp” fan gathering took place over the weekend in Malibu, designed to celebrate his life’s work and allow fans to pay tribute to him in person.
So there were a lot of worried faces when it was announced at the last minute that an unspecified health condition would prevent Van Dyke from attending. His wife, Arlene Silver made the confirmation, telling fans he was “not up to” appearing in person, but that he would be watching the live stream to see his fans.
Dick Van Dyke Pulls Out Of Malibu Fan Event Amid "Bad Day" At 99 https://t.co/e6onpicQ8U
— Deadline (@DEADLINE) June 29, 2025
As per USA Today, she said: “I’m sorry. When you’re 99-and-a-half years old, you have good days and bad days, and when you’re 40 years old, you have good days and bad days. Unfortunately, today is not a good day for him, and he’s sick that he can’t be here.”
Fortunately Silver underlined that this is not a serious condition and said she’s “pretty confident” Van Dyke will be able to attend subsequent events in his calendar.
A heavy smoker and alcoholic
Considering his age and former lifestyle, Van Dyke really is in remarkably good shape for someone preparing to celebrate their 100th birthday. In his younger years, he battled alcoholism (in 1972 being hospitalized for it) and for the vast majority of his adult life was an extremely heavy smoker. Even now, he still chews nicotine gum to soothe his cravings.
Beyond that, he’s also recently been in mortal danger. During the 2024 California wildfires Van Dyke was forced to evacuate his home, with neighbors discovering him crawling to his car. As he put it: “I was trying to crawl to [my] car. I had exhausted myself. I couldn’t get up. Three neighbors came and carried me out.”
Van Dyke can’t live forever, but nobody is ready to say goodbye to him anytime soon. Here’s hoping his 100th birthday party in December is one for the ages, with his fans from around the world uniting to send their best wishes to one of the most extraordinary men in showbiz. Get well soon Dick!
