thomase Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Dick Clark, Entertainment Icon Nicknamed 'America's Oldest Teenager,' Dies at 82 Dick Clark attends Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2011 in Times Square in this Dec. 31, 2010 file photo in New York City. (Andrew Walker/DCNYRE2011/Getty Images) More Sharing ServicesShareShare on facebook_likeEmail8 Comments Print Single Page Text Size - / + By JULIA KATHAN and SHEILA MARIKAR (@SheilaYM) April 18, 2012 Dick Clark, the music industry maverick, longtime TV host and powerhouse producer who changed the way we listened to pop music with "American Bandstand," and whose trademark "Rockin' Eve" became a fixture of New Year's celebrations, died today at the age of 82. Clark's agent Paul Shefrin said in statement that the veteran host died this morning following a "massive heart attack." Born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., on Nov. 30, 1929, Richard Wagstaff Clark began his lifelong career in show business began before he was even out of high school. He started working in the mailroom of WRUN, a radio station in upstate New York run by his father and uncle. It wasn't long before the teenager was on the air, filling in for the weatherman and the announcer. Clark pursued his passion at Syracuse University, working as a disc jockey at the student-run radio station while studying for his degree in business. After graduating in 1951, Clark went back to his family's radio station, but within a year, a bigger city and bigger shows were calling. Clark landed a gig as a DJ at WFIL in Philadelphia in 1952, spinning records for a show he called "Dick Clark's Caravan of Music." There he broke into the big time, hosting Bandstand, an afternoon dance show for teenagers. From the Beatles to the Boss: 50 Years of 'Bandstand' Memorabilia Watch Video Ringing in the New Year in Style Watch Video Ryan Seacrest's 'New Year's Rockin' Eve' Preview Watch Video Within five years, the whole country was watching. ABC took the show national, and "American Bandstand" was born. Blazing a New Trail in Pop Music "American Bandstand's" formula was simple. Clean-cut boys and girls danced to the hottest hits and the newest singles. In between, Clark chatted with the teens, who helped "rate-a-record," turning songs into sensations. Everyone showed up on "American Bandstand," from Elvis Presley to Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry to Chubby Checker. When Dick Clark moved to Hollywood in 1963, "American Bandstand" moved with him. He started Dick Clark Productions, and began cranking out one hit show after another; his name became synonymous with everything from the $25,000 "Pyramid" to "TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes" to the "American Music Awards." In 1972, Dick Clark became synonymous with one of the biggest nights of the year. New Year's Rockin' Eve "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" on ABC became a Dec. 31 tradition, with Clark hosting the festivities for more than three decades, introducing the entertainment acts and, of course, counting down to midnight as the ball dropped in New York's Times Square. But the traditional celebration saw a temporary stop in 2004, when Clark suffered a stroke that left him partially paralyzed and struggling to speak. Regis Philbin stepped in. But by the next New Year's Eve, Dick Clark was back, his speech still impaired. In halting words, he told the audience, "I had to teach myself how to walk and talk again. It's been a long, hard fight. My speech is not perfect but I'm getting there." But that didn't stop him: he returned each year, and recently he was joined by Ryan Seacrest. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/dick-clark-entertainment-icon-nicknamed-americas-oldest-teenager/story?id=16076252#.T48b_cXNmFA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moreblack Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 can't be sad, he had good long run among us... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dean Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batman007 Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bran Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chloe Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 RIP man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalsh327 Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 I think Dick got a mention in some of the GNR books, because he ran the American Music Awards. Definitely a good sport, don't forget he ran the bloopers show with Ed McMahon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Sabbath Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Aw, RIP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theman Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 may of been a robot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvaxl4ever Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Awww, I grew up watching American Bandstand....and the bloopers show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Takeshi Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 RIP Dick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forsaken Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 RIP Dick ClarkSide note, who was the genius mod/admin that decided to move this out of Anything Goes and into My World.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zint Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgy Zhukov Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Sign of the end to come. The man who ushers in the new year by getting it on with his wife is gone, now we know there will be 2013 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dalsh327 Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Len B'stard Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 (edited) Apparently Clark rated that as one of his favorite performances on the show BTW, One Drop EP being released on 21st April, Viynl only so get your hands into your pockets Zint Edited April 19, 2012 by sugaraylen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Drama Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Hmmm contemplating getting into PIL thanks to you. Thats pretty cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Len B'stard Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 get first issue then flowers of romance then metal box Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunnyDRE Posted April 19, 2012 Share Posted April 19, 2012 Don Cornelius and Dick in the same year.....geez. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zint Posted April 20, 2012 Share Posted April 20, 2012 This is a pic of Dick Clark at a concert I was at MANY many moons ago.He was hosting a rock n roll revival show featuring Danny and the Juniors (At The Hop,Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay),The Drifters (Up On The Roof,Under The Boardwalk) and the one and only Bo Diddley! B) It was a really fun show!One of those shows you go to for the hell of it,but grow to appreciate more and more as time goes on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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