That is what this Iconic Legend was to all of us. Not only to my baby boomer generation but the ones that followed. So many entertainers owe their careers to Dick Clark and what he did for Rock and Roll and its image, forever changing my parents generation minds on the artists who played it and their kids who fell in love with it.
I’ve got to admit there are not a lot of entertainers I’ve actually shed tears hearing upon their deaths. I have felt deeply saddened but just a few had me literally crying. Dean Martin who I adored was one on them, Johnny Carson was another and Wednesday hearing that Dick Clark had died and watching the footage from the earliest shows of American Bandstand made many of tears flow throughout the day and night.
He started hosting AB the year I was born in 1957 and I can remember watching it from as far back as 4 years old in 61′. My God what innocence in the kids from those days to now. Maybe that was apart of the sadness. Dick Clark always referred to as America’s Oldest Teenager was a part of our youth, dreams and that at one time innocence. With the news of him dying it felt like a little part of all of us died right along with him. He meant that much.
I’ve got to admit by time I got into my mid teens in the early 70s I rarely watched AB literally because in reality nothing in my mind could have matched what we had a chance to see out of the 50’s & 60s’. My musical tastes pretty much stayed in a certain era and disco wasn’t apart of my likes thus I had no interest in the artists or the dances.
But now as far as New Years Eve is concerned, to me it will never be the same. As the music changed his Rockin’ Eve in the New Year shows never interested me, I simply tuned in strictly to watch only Dick Clark. It became a tradition watching and hearing him speak as that ball dropped and struck in a new year.
So we sit sad tonight but come the eve of Dec. 31st it will hit us even harder knowing that our oldest teenager won’t be with us to help ring in a new one. He will still be in our thoughts and we will still visualize that smile of his that could light up a billion hearts and yes the ball will still drop and strike, but without him there it will be a lot more dimmer.
May God Speed to his family, friends and for all who knew, worked and got a chance to dance on AB with him at one time.
From his fans we say,
Thank You for filling so many of us with joy and help transcend a genre of music and its dances that only you could make so completely color blind, for that alone it enriched our souls to make this a better world to live in. Music is a passion and Dick Clark gave the world a gift that will always remain to each one of us because of him. He didn’t like goodbye’s and right now none of his countless fans want to say it either. We want to remember him as always being here with us.
You will always be our oldest teenager in our hearts until our end.
So for right now Mr. Clark, So Long.
This originated from American Bandstand
No matter hold old you are, no matter how old you get Thank You Dick Clark for always bringing the Teenager out of all of us Forever.
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