Dick Van Dyke Admits He Doesn't 'Fear' Death and Lives 'in the Moment'... as 'Blind and Deaf' Acting Legend Struggles Toward 100th Birthday
Dick Van Dyke confessed he doesn't 'fear' death ahead of his 100th birthday.
Nov. 25 2025, Published 6:45 p.m. ET
Legendary actor and comedian Dick Van Dyke has no qualms about growing older, even as he stares down his 100th birthday on December 13, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
In a recent interview, Van Dyke, 99, opened up and shared his philosophy on aging and why he doesn't "fear" death despite knowing his days are numbered.
Why Van Dyke Doesn't 'Fear' Death
Van Dyke acknowledged 'the end of my life is so much closer' at age 99.
"The end of my life is so much closer. When you expire, you expire. I don't have any fear of death for some reason," the 99-year-old told an outlet. "I can't explain that, but I don't. I’ve had such a wonderfully full and exciting life. That I can’t complain."
He also credited his wife, Arlene Silver, 54, whom he married in 2012, for keeping him young.
"She's responsible for keeping me in the moment," he explained. "She kept me happy every day of my life, every day. She's a joy. She can get me singing or dancing, and she carries so much responsibility ... I'm just lucky."
As for how he feels about his milestone birthday days away? Van Dyke stayed true to his comedic roots as he jokingly remarked, "I hope I make it."
"I feel really good for 100," he said before cracking another joke. "I feel like I'm about 13."
Saved by Optimism
The 'Mary Poppins' star believes his optimism has 'kept me going.'
"Sometimes I have more energy than others, but I never wake up in a bad mood," the Mary Poppins star noted.
While reflecting on his own mortality and optimistic outlook on life, the almost centenarian said he believes his glass-half-full perspective has been "one of the chief things that kept me going."
"People say, ‘What did you do right?' I don’t know. I’m rather lazy," he said. "I've always thought that anger is one thing that eats up a person's insides — and hate. And I never really was able to work up a feeling of hate. I think that is one of the chief things that kept me going."
Van Dyke shares his philosophy on life and death in the new book, '100 Rules for Living to 100.'
While optimistic, Van Dyke is, of course, still human. He acknowledged, "There were things I didn’t like, people I don't like and disapprove of," as he explained the importance of not letting yourself become consumed by hatred.
"But I never really was able to do a white heat kind of hate," he continued. "My father (Loren Van Dyke) was constantly upset by the state of things in his life, and it did take him at 73 years old."
Van Dyke detailed his life experiences and how he wants to be remembered in his new book, 100 Rules for Living to 100.
Van Dyke Reveals His 'Legacy'
Van Dyke said his legacy will be his work in 'children's entertainment and children's music.'
"Each rule springs from a story in my own life, which I believe has stuck itself in my memory for a good reason, because it had some broader emotional significance for me," he said.
"What I left in the way of children's entertainment and children's music – that's my legacy," the entertainer noted. "I don't think remembering me is that important."
He continued: "But it's the music, the music we leave behind. For as long as children are proudly belting out their new word, 'Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,' or singing and skipping along to 'Chim Chim Cher-ee,' the most important part of me will always be alive."
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In a recent reflective first-person essay, Van Dyke his "sight is so bad now," and that hearing loss has also become a daily frustration.
"I have trouble following group conversations and complain frequently about my hearing aids," he said.
The icon also admitted simple tasks have also become difficult.
