DICK VAN DYKE JOKES ABOUT 100TH BIRTHDAY: 'IT'D BE FUNNY IF I DIDN'T MAKE IT'
Dick Van Dyke is maintaining his signature wit ahead of a milestone birthday.
The "Mary Poppins" star, 99, cracked a dark joke about his upcoming 100th birthday while attending a Vandy High Tea event in Malibu, California, on Oct. 5, according to People magazine.
"I'm not officially a hundred until December," he noted, per the outlet. "Two months. Two months. It'd be funny if I didn't make it."
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Van Dyke attended the event, which raised money for the Van Dyke Endowment of the Arts and Dick Van Dyke Museum, alongside his wife, Arlene. When a fan asked him his secret to looking young, he pointed to his wife and said the secret was "right here beside me," according to a video from the event shared on Instagram.
Van Dyke is set to turn 100 on Dec. 13.
In November, the "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" star will be out with a book tied to the occasion: "100 Rules for Living to 100: An Optimist's Guide to a Happy Life," in which he "reveals his secrets for maintaining your joie de vivre and making the most out of the life you've been given," per the publisher.
On his birthday weekend, Fathom Entertainment is also releasing "Dick Van Dyke: 100th Celebration," which is described as a film weaving together "classic TV and film clips, heartfelt interviews with Van Dyke and his legendary co-stars, and a moving visit with the star to his hometown of Danville, Illinois." It will play in theaters for a limited two-day engagement on Dec. 13 and Dec. 14.
Van Dyke stepped out this weekend about three months after he dropped out of an event in June due to health issues. At the time, his wife told fans that "when you're 99-and-a-half years old, you have good days and bad days," and "unfortunately, today is not a good day for him."
But ahead of Van Dyke's 100th birthday celebrations, singer Rick Springfield recently went viral after revealing on Instagram that he ran into the legendary actor at the gym and was impressed by the 99-year-old's workout regimen.
"Filming an episode of Men’s Health and I went to the gym and who should be there but 99-year-old Dick Van Dyke working out on every machine," Springfield posted. "I thought I was doing well at 76, but Dick got up from the chest press machine and did a little dance step before I left! ❤️ Amazing!"
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dick Van Dyke jokes about 100th birthday: 'It'd be funny if I didn't make it'
2025-10-07T18:16:09Z
