Dick Clark was an icon of American pop culture and his passing has been on the minds of many lately.
How is Hollywood reacting? Ryan Seacrest, who seems poised to be Clark’s pop culture heir apparent, tweeted, “I am deeply saddened by the loss of my dear friend Dick Clark. He has truly been one of the greatest influences in my life. I idolized him from the start, and I was graced early on in my career with his generous advice and counsel. When I joined his show in 2006, it was a dream come true to work with him every New Year’s Eve for the last 6 years. He was smart, charming, funny and always a true gentleman. I learned a great deal from him, and I’ll always be indebted to him for his faith and support of me. He was a remarkable host and businessman and left a rich legacy to television audiences around the world. We will all miss him.
ABC News radio correspondent Steven Portnoy tweeted “The man didn’t invent entertainment TV, but he perfected it, with his hand in everything from music to game shows. RIP, Dick Clark. So long.” Others in the newsfield tweeted in as well. Larry King said, “Dick Clark was a great friend, true legend, & a master journalist. Nobody did what he did better. It was a pleasure to be in his company,” while Anderson Cooper wrote “What a career Dick Clark had! What a life! My thoughts are with his family and friends.” Al Roker shared a crazy bit of new when he wrote “I got to meet him many times. I was meeting w/Dick in his office as the OJ verdict was announced. It was surreal.”
Janet Jackson wrote “Dick Clark changed the face of musical television. He was wonderful to many artists including our family. We will miss him. God bless.” The great Smokey Robinson tweeted “I loved Dick Clark. He was so instrumental in my career as well as all the other Motown acts and so many others in the recording business. Good bye my friend, rest in peace.” Tony Orlando said “Only God is responsible for making more stars than Dick Clark… I just want the world to know how much I loved him, how much I cared about him. He’s been a part of everybody’s life.” And another man who’s been an icon in music, Quincy Jones, said, “Rest in Peace my good friend Dick Clark. A pioneer who’s mark on American culture will be felt forever.”
It’s amazing how many lives he touched. Tomorrow, I’ll have more reactions to Dick Clark’s passing.