Dick Van Dyke's Pals 'Fear' 97-Year-Old is Working His Way Into the Grave With Grueling 'Days of Our Lives' Gig

Doddering Dick Van Dyke isn't heeding warnings to slow down — and loved ones fear his grueling new acting gig on Days of Our Lives will finish him off, RadarOnline.com has learned.

Just weeks after a terrifying car crash left him allegedly concussed, the 97-year-old Mary Poppins legend proudly confirmed he'll guest star on the daytime soap as sources say his 51-year-old wife, Arlene Silver, took his keys away from him.

But that won't halt him from living life in the fast lane.

He's charging ahead with his new ten-hours-a-day TV role and saying that "everyone needs to butt out and leave him to enjoy the time he has left however he wants," according to the snitch.

Van Dyke — who starred with Julie Andrews in the 1964 classic Mary Poppins — is making his soap opera debut in Days.

As RadarOnline.com reported, a spokesperson for the Malibu Police Department confirmed that Van Dyke was involved in a single-car accident on the morning of March 15. When cops arrived at the scene, they discovered the actor "bleeding from the nose and mouth” after his 2018 Lexus plowed into a gate when it slipped on the rain-soaked road.

Never miss a story — sign up for the RadarOnline.com newsletter to get your daily dose of dope. Daily. Breaking. Celebrity news. All free.

Sources spilled that his younger wife took action by taking his car keys — a move that has caused friction between the couple.

“Dick’s gotten to the point where he needs to be taken off the road — for his own safety and the safety of others,” an insider shared last month. “Arlene is terrified if she doesn’t take the keys away now, it may be too late!”

Van Dyke is "determined to maintain his independence," the pal said, adding that Dick is "chafing" at Arlene’s concerns.

“She doesn’t want to press her luck,” explained the source. “She loves her husband very much and doesn’t want to see him die in the driver’s seat!”

As for Van Dyke, days after the incident, telling his fans he was “fine” but “sore all over.” The smiling star reemerged last week, more than one month after the crash.