Early Wednesday afternoon, news that entertainment legend Dick Clark had passed after suffering from a massive heart attack at 82.
Clark’s entertainment career began before he was even out of high school. Growing up in New York, the young entertainer would act as sub in as a weatherman and announcer for a local radio station in his hometown. While attending college, he worked as a DJ for a student radio station and only a year after graduation became a DJ in Philadelphia for his very own show, Dick Clark’s Caravan of Music.
But that was only the beginning. Soon after, Clark was offered a national TV gig on ABC’s American Bandstand. This was his true claim to frame and made way for other popular television gigs like Pyramid. In addition to being a famous entertainer for the last 60 years, Clark also dabbled in the production side of the entertainment industry. The production company he founded, Dick Clark Productions, is known to have produced 30 television series and over 250 television specials.
Perhaps what he is most famous for today, however, is Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. For over 30 years Clark has been the host for the annual New Year’s show, introducing talented entertainers, celebrating the upcoming New Year with viewers, and leading the countdown to midnight in Times Square.
He was truly a talented and likeable entertainer, and he will be most missed during future New Year’s festivities.
Madeline Johnson is a writer and blogger. After graduating from the University of Texas, she began her career as a freelance writer and now focuses on topics ranging from business to law. At the moment, she spends much of her time writing about slip and fall attorneys, to provide those with no legal experience information on how to find lawyers that will have their best interests in mind.
