Dick Clark dies at 82

[4bronxbombers]

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/...ry?id=16076252

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.

He had a good run, that's for sure but still sad. RIP Dick Clark. I used to love watching him on TV when I was a kid.

[Yankee Tripper]

5...4...3...2...rip

[Nome]

Another icon has passed on. New years Eve will never be the same with out him. He popularized R&R with his Philly American Band Stand in the 50's

He lived a great and productive life. We all should be able to say the same thing

Andy

[Sam18]

Guess someone lost the charger huh?

[Big_E]

RIP to Americas Oldest Teenager

[OlgMvp]

He was only 82?? I thought he was older with all the dick clark is old jokes.

[4bronxbombers]

[xenadanielle]

Very sad news, may he R I P.

I grew up watching "AB" on Saturdays.

[Eldee5]

I loved American Bandstand. I was a faithful watcher in the late sixties and early seventies. I loved seeing the kids dance and short of The Beatles, every major musical act made an appearance on AB, although everything was lip synched. I loved Rate A Record, where Dick Clark would play a couple of new songs that we hadn't heard before and the kids on the show would give it a numerical rating. When Dick would ask them what was good about the song, the most usual response would be, "It's got a good beat and it's easy to dance to." That's pretty much how I pick the songs I like to this day.

Obviously the Dick Clark empire went on to encompass much more than just American Bandstand, but AB will be my enduring memory of him. Rest in peace Dick, you gave me lots of wonderful musical memories. Sad day.

[CalYankeeFan]

I never really got into AB, but will always remember New Years Eve as a kid and the game shows.

RIP

[fredgmuggs]

I never really got into AB, but will always remember New Years Eve as a kid and the game shows.

RIP

Yeah, I think I enjoyed Dick Clark more as a game show host on his $25,000 Pyrimid gameshow than all the other stuff he's known for.

He had a good run and I respected him for his battle in recovering from his stroke and that he didn't hide from it.

God's speed, Mr. Clark.

[MunsonNY15]

New Years Rockin' Eve, AB, and Pyrimid were staples of my childhood years. Thinking about watching them, and Dick Clark, brings happy memories and makes me smile. That's a wonderful legacy.

May he RIP.

Heidi.

[b0mber]

New Years won't be the same anymore...RIP to the legend!

[Hitman23]

I don't know how long I can hold out before I soil this thread with unnecessary censorship.

[fredgmuggs]

New Years won't be the same anymore...RIP to the legend!

You're probably much too young to remember this but the Big Band Leader Guy Lombardo and his band was a New Year's Eve staple back in the day. New Year's wouldn't be official until they played Auld Lang Syne.

Lombardo would joke "when I die I'm taking New Year's Eve with me". New Year's Eve is still here even though Guy Lombardo has long since departed this earth. Things change but somehow they still carry on.

[b-ball-lunachick]

as someone with a new year's eve birthday like me, i've shared many a birthday with Dick Clark - class act..thanks for the memories, Dick. RIP.

[35Knucklecurve]

Since I grew up in Philly, memories of Dick Clark have a special place in my heart. We used to race home after school and turn on the TV to see if anyone we knew were among the teens who made "the cut". My parents even enjoyed watching at times, amused by the latest dance crazes like the Twist (does Chubby Checker ring a bell?), the Watusi and Mashed Potates.

He was a pioneer in many ways, using music to ease racial tension by conducting an interview on AB with a black teenager. I recall him later saying he was very nervous about it - not knowing how viewers in the south would react. From that point on, the racial mix on AB became the norm and probably paved the way for more diversity in countless areas besides entertainment.

"It has a good beat and you can dance to do it." We're still dancing, Mr. Clark. Thanks and RIP.

[Jersey Yankee]

I haven't watched ABT in awhile, but definitely remember having watched it around 20+ years ago. He was great on it, and he almost always had big-name musical guests on there. People like Ryan Seacrest and Marie Osmond were his protoges.

For New Year's Eve, they were right, the man never aged. He kept essentially the same face for about the past 40 years, I think.

R-I-P, Dick Clark. You were a very good man.

[Tifoso]

(RIP)

[Jersey Yankee]

(RIP)

^^ Which would all be Steve's fault.

[Sixty one]

Believe it or not I remember watching American Bandstand when I was in college in 1960. A friend of mine went to Philly to be on the show and he told me how there were certain regulars who had free passes to be on that show every day. I don't remember their names but they were on for several years. RIP Dick Clark you brought a great deal of pleasure to many, many teenagers back in the day.