True music and TV giant Dick Clark dies

True music and TV giant Dick Clark dies

IDA MAE ASTUTE/ABC

Ryan Seacrest with Dick Clark earlier this year for Clark's final appearance on Rockin' New Year's Eve. Clark died Wednesday morning at 82 of a heart attack.

Dick Clark, whose American Bandstand made him rich, famous, influential and sometimes controversial by marrying rock n roll with television, died Wednesday morning at the age of 82.

His agent, Paul Shefrin, said he suffered a massive heart attack. He had struggled with health issues since suffering a a serious stroke in 2004.

Before then he was often called Americas oldest living teenager because of his perpetual and almost eerily youthful look.

I cant imagine our world without Dick Clark, said Bruce (Cousin Brucie) Morrow, the longtime radio host now on SiriusXM. Youd just look at him that face. I never thought wed lose him.

But behind Clarks boyish, all-American look, he was one of the cannies t music and media moguls of the late 20th century starting with the way he cross-marketed the two biggest pop culture phenomena of the past 60 years, rock n roll and television.

The passing of Dick Clark removes one of the largest foundation stones of the entire pop music industry for the latter half of the 20th century, said longtime friend Kal Rudman, publisher of Friday Morning Quarterback.

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A Mount Vernon, Westchester County, native who got his start as as radio deejay and TV weatherman, Clark inherited a local show called Bandstand from the popular Bob Horn on Philadelphias WFIL in 1956.

While other local TV shows featured teenagers dancing to popular music, Clark took it national when ABC starting airing American Bandstand on Aug. 5, 1957.

That move is what put rock n roll into Americas living room, said Morrow. Dick Clark was the key to everything that followed.

Clark was an unlikely standard-bearer for early rock n roll, which built much of its reputation on the rebellious attitude and daring style of artists like Elvis Presley and Little Richard.

Clark was white bread, a totally unthreatening guy who could have been barbecuing hamburgers on the grill next door.

His critics have charged he also promoted blandness on his show, pushing teen idols like Fabian and Bobby Rydell, who were widely viewed by fans as a safe substitute for the harder-edged music of Jerry Lee Lewis or Chuck Berry.

Clark always denied he favored watered-down music. His defenders note he gave early exposure to artists like James Brown and his tours were among the first to integrate venues in the South.