The Hollywood legend Dick Van Dyke is less than a month away from celebrating his 100th birthday. In a new interview, Van Dyke’s wife Arlene Silver, 54, is revealing why she feels “honored” to have him in her life.
Silver Is ‘So Grateful’ For Van Dyke
Silver told People Magazine that she is “so grateful” to have Van Dyke in her life.
“I’m so glad he’s still with us,” Silver said. “I’ve always been celebrating him now, since 2011 when I got him on social media. It’s like a pinnacle of all that is. All these different people from different events we’ve done… So cool. I’m so happy.”
“I’m so honored to have him in my life, take care of him, and nurture this community that we’ve built, that he’s built over the years, but I feel like the in-person stuff is new,” she continued. “So I love it. Look at what I get to look at. So cool.”
Van Dyke and Silver met at the Screen Actors Guild Awards back in 2006. At the time, Silver was working the event as a makeup artist. They went on to marry in 2012, and they’ve been devoted to one another ever since.
“One thing I had never done was ever approach a strange woman in my life,” Van Dyke recalled. “She walked by, and without thinking, I jumped up and said, ‘Hi, I’m Dick.’ [I] asked her to sit down and found out she was a makeup lady and I hired her on the spot.”
“She’s responsible for keeping me in the moment,” he added. “She’s 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.”
Van Dyke’s Positive Attitude
Van Dyke is set to turn 100 on Saturday, December 13. Last month, Van Dyke told People that he believes he’s made it to this advanced age because of his positive attitude. Indeed, he has always been an eternal optimist.
“People say ‘What did you do right?’” Van Dyke said. “I don’t know. I’m rather lazy. 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.”
“There were things I didn’t like, people I don’t like and disapprove of,” he continued. “But I never really was able to do a white heat kind of hate. 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’s father died in 1972 after a battle with emphysema.
Science has backed up Van Dyke’s claim that a positive attitude leads to longevity. According to Fox News, “modern research appears to back up this idea that emotional states play a meaningful role in long-term health.”
“Studies on aging adults show that anger can heighten inflammation in the body, raising levels of markers like IL-6 and increasing risk of illness,” the publication continues. “These effects can accelerate the wear-and-tear process associated with aging.”
Van Dyke is a true living legend, and there will never be another one like him. We’d like to wish him a very happy early 100th birthday, and many more to come!