“THE ROOM WENT SILENT BEFORE HE EVEN FINISHED HIS SENTENCE…”
No lights flickered, no music played — yet somehow, the air shifted the moment Dick Van Dyke leaned forward, almost 100 years old and glowing with that unmistakable spark of boyish mischief. Moments earlier he had led a two-hour eruption of pure childhood magic — shouting “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!” with a grin so bright it felt like a time machine, lifting voices, hearts, and spirits like only he could. But then he said it — softly, honestly, with a tremble wrapped in truth: “I don’t have a phone… and I’m perfectly fine with that.” A few people laughed. A few nodded. Most just froze, because the emotion behind his words landed like a gentle heartbreak. He spoke of buses where no one looks up, restaurants where no one talks, families sitting together yet completely alone. And then, with tears shining at the edge of his smile, he whispered: “I want to revive the art of conversation.” That’s when it hit everyone — a wave of tenderness so real, so raw, some openly wept. This wasn’t nostalgia. It was a reminder. A plea. A gift. And as the crowd slowly filed out, holding their chests and swallowing the lump in their throats, one whispered phrase seemed to echo on every lip: “I didn’t know how much I needed to hear that until right now…”

Dick Van Dyke started celebrating his upcoming 100th birthday early by hosting a two-hour sing-a-long charity event with fans on Nov. 30 in Malibu, Calif. (via People). The event, which the icon co-hosted with his wife, Arlene Silver, raised funds to benefit the Dick Van Dyke Museum and The Van Dyke Endowment of the Arts.

“There are several reasons for having these — all good — but mine is to revive the art of conversation,” Van Dyke told the audience. “I don’t care if you’re on a street, you’re in a bus or in a restaurant, everybody’s looking at their phones. Nobody talks. I’ve seen young couples having dinner together and they’re both looking at their phones. I may be the only person in the United States over 10 who does not have a cell phone. I don’t have a phone.”

Van Dyke will turn 100 years old on Dec. 13. Along with his quartet The Vantastix, he sang some of the most famous songs from his career at the event in addition to personal favorites. The group started by performing “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” the title song from the actor’s 1968 classic, and ended with “Let’s Go Fly a Kite,” the classic number from “Mary Poppins.” Van Dyke also performed other favorites from those movies, including “You Two” and “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.”

According to People: “At one point, a fan asked Van Dyke what his favorite part of the Christmas season is, which he said was always ‘the singing, the caroling.’ On that note, he and The Vantastix sang ‘Caroling, Caroling’ by Nat King Cole.”

Other songs during the sing-a-long event included “Carolina in the Morning” and the theme song to “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” the actor’s iconic CBS sitcom that ran for five seasons from 1961 to 1966.

Earlier this fall, Van Dyke reflected on his upcoming 100th birthday by telling fans: “I brag sometimes about how I made it to 100 and the truth is, if I had known I was going to live this long, I would’ve taken better care of myself. And it is frustrating because I don’t know what I did right. Other than [my wife, Arlene], I didn’t do anything right.”

In an interview with Variety last year to mark his CBS special “Dick Van Dyke: 98 Years of Magic,” the actor spoke lovingly about his career in Hollywood and said: “I enjoyed everything I did, and not a lot of people can say that.”

“I left a good example for a young generation,” he added about what he thinks his legacy is in Hollywood. “I have a positive effect on kids. And I can tell by the mail I get from kids that I’ve had a good effect. They want to emulate that behavior. And that, I think, is why what we really accomplish is worthwhile. I’m so happy the impact I had was a positive one, and I’m perfectly satisfied with that.”