As the world prepares to celebrate Dick Van Dyke’s 100th birthday on December 13, the “grumpy old man” has shared a deeply personal reflection on feeling “diminished,” and the heartbreaking realities of what it means to grow old.
In a diary written for The Times, Dick Van Dyke, now 99, opened up with striking honesty about the emotional and physical weight of reaching his milestone birthday. Though widely admired for his vibrant energy, humor, and iconic roles across generations, the Mary Poppins star revealed that age has changed him in ways that no career success could ever shield him against.
‘Diminished’
“It’s frustrating to feel diminished in the world, physically and socially.” Wrote the soon-to-be centenarian, per the Independent.
While the stage and screen defined his daily rhythm for more than 60 years, the star of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is now more likely to be found enjoying the calm of his California home, away from red carpets and studio lights.
“Almost all of my visiting with folks has to happen at my house,” he said, admitting that his energy isn’t what it used to be. “Travel takes so much out of me that I have to say no.”
‘Current events could turn anyone sour’
He continued, “On top of that, recent and unfolding current events could turn anyone sour and dark, young or old. I just lived through two Southern California wildfires in less than a month, right out my front door, including the worst one in history.”
Van Dyke, who previously expressed criticism of President Donald Trump, said that climate disasters combined with political turmoil have left him disheartened: “Daily, I spiral into anguish over the mayhem and cruelty being inflicted on the entire world by those in power. So yes, I suppose at certain times of day I am the grumpy old man who yells at the TV.”
Loneliness
In addition to watching the world spin into uncertainty, Van Dyke shared that one of the most difficult parts of reaching his age is that he outlived nearly everyone he’s loved – including his first wife, Margie Willett, the mother of his four children, who passed in 2008 after their 1984 divorce, and his longtime partner Michelle Triola, whom he was with from 1976 until her death in 2009.
“Every single one of my dearest lifelong friends is gone, which feels just as lonely as it sounds,” he shared, revealing the often unseen burden of longevity.
Still, Van Dyke clarified the “occasional bouts of sadness and anger” are “not the essence” of him.
Wife keeps him youthful
He credits his wife Arlene, 54, as the person who keeps him vibrant and grounded.
“Without question, our ongoing romance is the most important reason I have not withered away into a hermetic grouch,” he wrote, according to the Independent.
Their relationship, spanning over a decade despite a significant age difference, has become one of the most stabilizing forces in his later years.
“Arlene is half my age, and she makes me feel somewhere between two thirds and three quarters my age, which is still saying a lot,” the Diagnosis: Murder star shared.
‘Giant playground’
Despite age, loss, and frustration with the world, the multiple award-winning legend holds onto the joy that made him a beloved figure for nearly a century.
“No one is genetically miserable. No matter our current circumstances, we all have the capacity for a joyful life,” he wrote, per Men’s Journal. “I’ve made it to 99 in no small part because I have stubbornly refused to give into the bad stuff in life: failures and defeats, personal losses, loneliness and bitterness, the physical and emotional pains of ageing.
“That stuff is real, but I have not let it define me. Instead, for the vast majority of my years, I have been in what I can only describe as a full-on bear hug with the experience of living. Being alive has been doing life – not like a job but rather like a giant playground.”
There’s no final curtain here, just a quieter act – one shaped by honesty, love, and the enduring desire to live fully, even as the spotlight dims.
Ahead of his birthday, please share your wishes for Dick Van Dyke in the comment section below and then share this story, so we can send this phenomenal actor the love he deserves!
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