[wrefrinny]

Damn this guy knew how to put away the dough. I'd heard he was a tough s o b when it came time to make a deal, but that he was fair in all the things he did. But I never heard crap about him such as certain celebrities that just have an all around sh*tty attitude toward everyone & everything.

Clark fortune is in the 'hundreds of millions' 'He had this never-give-up attitude. He was a great salesperson and a task master'

Kevork Djansezian / APAt one point, Dick Clark hosted shows on all three major TV networks, including "The $20,000 Pyramid" on ABC, "Live Wednesday" on CBS and "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes" on NBC.
By RYAN NAKASHIMAAP Business Writer

updated 4/19/2012 10:39:48 AM ET2012-04-19T14:39:48

LOS ANGELES — Dick Clark married music and television long before "American Idol." But his legacy extends well beyond the persona of the laid-back host of "American Bandstand" whose influence can still be seen on TV today.
He was the workaholic head of a publicly traded company, a restaurateur, a concert promoter and real estate investor. Clark, who died of a heart attack on Wednesday at age 82, left behind a fortune and is the model of entertainment entrepreneurship embodied today by "Idol" host Ryan Seacrest.
"Work was his hobby," said Fran La Maina, the longtime president of Dick Clark Productions Inc.
La Maina started as the production company's financial controller in 1966. He estimates Clark amassed a fortune that reached into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
"He had this never-give-up attitude. He was a great salesperson and a task master," La Maina said.
Clark was one of the early pioneers of the idea that a public company can be formed around an entertainer's personal appeal. By the time La Maina went to work for him, Clark already had three shows on air: "Swingin' Country," "Where the Action Is," and, of course, "American Bandstand."

Read the rest, also has a slideshow with him & various acts, including a very young Johnny Mathis:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47100931