[fotodemujerahldesnugdo]

Dick Clark, Entertainment Icon Nicknamed 'America's Oldest Teenager,' Dies at 82



Dick Clark attends Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2011
in Times Square in this Dec. 31, 2010 file photo in New York City. (Andrew Walker/DCNYRE2011/Getty Images)

Dick Clark, the music industry maverick, longtime TV host and powerhouse producer who changed the way we listened to pop music with American Bandstand, and whose trademark Rockin' Eve became a fixture of New Year's celebrations, died today at the age of 82.
Clark's agent Paul Shefrin said in statement that the veteran host died this morning following a "massive heart attack." He is survived by his wife Kari and his three children, RAC, Duane, and Cindy.
Born in Mount Vernon, N.Y., on Nov. 30, 1929, Richard Wagstaff Clark began his lifelong career in show business began before he was even out of high school. He started working in the mailroom of WRUN, a radio station in upstate New York run by his father and uncle. It wasn't long before the teenager was on the air, filling in for the weatherman and the announcer.
Clark pursued his passion at Syracuse University, working as a disc jockey at the student-run radio station while studying for his degree in business. After graduating in 1951, Clark went back to his family's radio station, but within a year, a bigger city and bigger shows were calling.

Clark landed a gig as a DJ at WFIL in Philadelphia in 1952, spinning records for a show he called Dick Clark's Caravan of Music. There he broke into the big time, hosting Bandstand, an afternoon dance show for teenagers.
Within five years, the whole country was watching. ABC took the show national, and American Bandstand was born.
for rest of story:
http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/...2#.T48a6Nnl-ZE

[bWn4h8QD]

Sorry but not a very nice person.

[xochgtlm]

I've heard some not too nice stories about him, but it is still sad that he's gone. It wouldn't been the same without seeing him on New Year's Eve. He was also a big influence on the spread of Rock n' Roll.

[VINPELA]

He helped many entertainers by showcasing them on AB, & even before that on his radio show. On the news, it was reported that AB broadcast ten thousand performances during its run. I loved watching it. Times Square, New Year's Eve, won't be the same without him. Hope they do a nice tribute to him next Eve.

[doxinwasido]

Dick Clark's influence on youth culture is right up there with Elvis and the Beatles.

Imagine: a national daily 90 minute TV dance show for teens, hosted by a 26 year old during rock's formative years.

Add to that a Saturday night prime-time show that ran simultaneously (in the late 1950's.)

For a time there, the guy was hosting and producing over 8 hours of teen culture a week, in a TV media environment made up of only 3 network channels. His was a huge presence.

Featuring not just the music and name talent of the time but the kids themselves ... the dances, the clothes, the hair ....as well as the advertising directed specifically to the teen market. Clark was doing this when no one else was. He was it.

(oh yeah... but he wasn't "nice")

[textarchive]

Doesn't mean he was a nice person. And if he wasn't, that is part of the story too. I have no knowledge one way or the other.

[fluistulkn]

I think Bill Macy is the Dorian Gray.

[Sillaycheg]

He's my secret crush.

[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

[MgpojuWy]

Hard as nails with a candy smile?

[bUqLfXRI]

I remember 'Where the Action Is'. That's back when there were still 15 minute shows on television. It was followed in the afternoon by Dark Shadows.