Dick Van Dyke’s Bittersweet Journey to Being One of the Last Stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age

Legendary actor and comedian Dick Van Dyke, 99, opened up about the bittersweet reality of turning 100 at a recent “Dick & Arlene Van Dyke Present Vandy Camp” event in Malibu, Calif., after his wife told the crowd, “He’s outlived everybody,” referring to what she called the “curse of living to almost 100.”

According to People, Van Dyke admitted that one of his most painful regrets is missing out on a planned remake of The Odd Couple with longtime pal Ed Asner, who died in 2021 at age 91.

“That would’ve been such fun,” he said.

Over his long life, he has quietly outlived a roll call of Hollywood icons and colleagues:

+ Carl Reiner, The Dick Van Dyke Show creator, who died at 98 in 2020.

+ Norman Lear, the legendary sitcom producer and friend, who died at 101 in 2023.

+ Rose Marie, Dick’s beloved costar on The Dick Van Dyke Show, who died at 94 in 2017.

+ Mary Tyler Moore, a beloved friend who played his wife on the show, who died at 80 in 2017.

The 1960s series “was just a party for five years,” Dick said in a 1985 interview with USA Today. “There was so much creativity. I never had so much fun.”

He’s also lost close companions outside show business, including:

+ Margie Willett, his first wife of 36 years, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2008 at age 81. Despite their 1984 divorce, Van Dyke wrote in his memoir via Daily Mail that her death “felt like I lost a part of myself.”

+ Michelle Triola, Van Dyke’s partner of 35 years (they never married), passed away in 2009 from lung cancer at age 76. He cared for her through her final days, singing and speaking to her until she slipped into a coma.

He fell for his present wife, makeup artist Arlene Silver, 53, after meeting her at the 2006 SAG Awards. She became a huge support to him in his grief after Triola died.

“Arlene would come by after work and bring me food,” he told People magazine in 2013. “She was such a support, I fell in love.”

The couple married in February 2012, and Van Dyke is blissfully happy.

But still, his incredible longevity can hurt.

“Everybody I knew and worked with … there’s no one left,” he admitted in a CBS interview.

HE’S NOT ALONE

Experts say this experience isn’t rare for centenarians. A recent report said that while Americans over 100 are growing — from roughly 107,000 today to an estimated 444,000 by 2055 — many face the emotional toll of watching friends and spouses pass away.

HOW HE’S STAYING POSITIVE

Despite heartbreak, Van Dyke is still a cockeyed optimist.

He credits his marriage to Arlene as his first source of happiness. “Everybody said it wouldn’t work,” he told People.

Van Dyke also stays fit. “I’ve always exercised,” he also told the outlet. “Three days a week, we go to the gym, still.”

The star says he spends an hour in the gym where he incorporates stretching, sit-ups and yoga. Afterward, he goes home and does laps around his pool!

Arlene also spoke up about his unshakable positivity, saying even with the sorrow he “can’t complain.”

A LEGACY TO WATCH OVER

Born Dec. 13, 1925, in Missouri, Van Dyke has collected six Emmys, a Grammy and a Tony over a career spanning broadcasting, Broadway, iconic films like Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and the enduring TV hit Diagnosis: Murder, which ran for eight seasons, from 1993 to 2001.

He’s seen entire eras of entertainment come and go — and even after enduring the loss of so many close companions, he remains humble and grateful.

Not to mention the huge family he’s not done loving yet. And, he was happy to discover, they love Arlene.

“My grandkids call her Grandma,” says Dick proudly. “My four kids just love her.”

The performer welcomed his children — Christian, Barry, Stacy and Carrie Beth — with first wife Margie.

“They all turned out great, I’m happy to say,” boasts Dick. “There’s not a horse thief in the bunch.”

He’s also the proud grandfather of seven!

THE FINAL WORD

As one of the very last stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age, Van Dyke carries a wisdom few can fathom.

But his message is clear: stay active, stay connected and live fully — even when everyone else fades.

As he approaches his centennial birthday in December, one thing is certain: Dick Van Dyke is determined to keep moving — dreaming big, looking forward, and carrying the memory of friends lost but not forgotten.

He says, “Somebody asked what I wanted on my gravestone. I’m just going to put: ‘Glad I Could Help.’ ”