Why Dick Van Dyke Feels at Peace Ahead of His 100th Birthday

Dick Van Dyke is approaching his 100th birthday with a remarkable sense of calm, gratitude, and even humor. When asked how he feels, he smiles and replies, “I feel really good for a hundred, you know. I have no pain, no discomfort.” People often ask him what his secret is, and he simply laughs: “Don’t ask. I don’t know.”

Despite reaching such a milestone age, Dick has never slowed down. In fact, he continued working well into his nineties. In 2023, he even made his daytime soap opera debut on Days of Our Lives. Standing on set, he shared his philosophy:

“I really haven’t got time to waste. I think of how rare it is that a person gets to make a living doing what they truly love. I never forgot that. I look forward to getting up every morning and going to work.”

Dick also reflected on one of the happiest chapters of his life: meeting his wife, Arlene Silver. The pair first crossed paths backstage at the SAG Awards in 2006.

“I had never approached a strange woman in my life,” he admitted. But when Arlene walked by, something in him acted on instinct.

“Without thinking, I jumped up and said, ‘Hi, I’m Dick.’”
They spoke for a while, and when he learned she was a makeup artist, he hired her immediately. Soon after, he began proposing — repeatedly.

“It didn’t take too long,” he laughed. “I kept proposing, and I finally won out.”

Now, with only two weeks left before turning 100, Dick feels nothing but peace.

“When you expire, you expire. I don’t have any fear of it. I’ve had such a wonderfully full and exciting life that I can’t complain.”

He believes his legacy isn’t about fame or being remembered personally, but about what he leaves behind.

“What I’ve contributed to children’s entertainment and children’s music — that’s my legacy. I don’t think remembering me is important. It’s the music. The music we leave behind.”

As Dick Van Dyke enters his next century, he does so with contentment, humility, and a deep appreciation for a life beautifully lived.