Dick Clark biography

Legacy

Clark was married three times. He first wed high school sweetheart Barbara Mallery in 1952, and the couple had one son, Richard, before their divorce in 1961. He then married his former secretary, Loretta Martin, in 1962. The couple had two children, Duane and Cindy. They divorced in 1971. Since July 7, 1977, Clark was married to another of his former secretaries, dancer Kari Wigton.

While Clark's behind-the-scenes business acumen had much to do with the fortune he amassed,

he was better known for the charming on-air personality and ageless looks that allowed him to remain one of television's most popular hosts and pitchmen, even after American Bandstand went off the air in 1989.

After his stroke in 2004, Clark was not as the public eye as much as he once was. Still he remained active behind the scenes and made his annual appearances on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve. Before the 2012 program, he told a reporter that he had physical therapy daily. "I'm making reasonable progress and I feel really good," he said. Sadly, a few months later, Clark suffered a massive heart attack while having a procedure done at Saint John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California. He died there on April 18, 2012. He was 82.

As friends and colleagues learned of his passing, there was an outpouring of grief and affection for the famous television host and producer. His friend and Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve host Ryan Seacrest said, in a statement, that Clark had "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." Singer Janet Jackson said that "Dick Clark changed the face of musical television. He was wonderful to many artists including our family."

For more than five decades, Clark shaped the viewing and listening habits of music fans with American Bandstand, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve and the American Music Awards. A true pioneer in both music and television, he will be remembered for his lasting impact on popular culture.

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