Dick Clark Dies of "Massive Heart Attack"
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN ANCHOR: Dick Clark, entertainer and host, has died at the age of 82. He is being remembered as a pioneer in the world of broadcasting and is the forever young-looking host of two TV classics, "American Bandstand" and "New Year's Rockin' Eve." Clark died this morning of a massive heart attack. He had suffered from a stroke in 2004. Here's CNN's Sandra Endo with more.</s>SANDRA ENDO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): He was known as the world's oldest teenager. Dick Clark began his career on the weekly dance party that would later be known as "American Bandstand" in Philadelphia in 1956. The show became a national and later, an international sensation after it was picked up by ABC one year later.</s>ENDO: In spite of racial attitudes at the time, Clark was a pioneer in promoting African-American artists like Percy Sledge, The Silhouettes, The Supremes and Gladys Knight and the Pips. An appearance on "American Bandstand" launched many a musical career and from Jerry Lee Lewis to Janet Jackson, they all wanted Dick Clark to give their record a spin.</s>DICK CLARK, AMERICAN ICON: If you look at the history of "American Bandstand," it covers everything, from popular music back to the big band days when we started in 1952, it Was Perry Como and Eddie Fisher and the Four Aces and so forth, through the rock 'n' roll period, country music, rhythm and blues, rap music, heavy metal. It is everything.</s>ENDO: But music wasn't his only beat. Clark proved to be a prolific businessman and television icon, hosting the game show "The $25,000 Pyramid," "TV's Bloopers and Practical Jokes," and of course, the annual "New Year's Rockin' Eve" broadcast. He turned his Dick Clark production into a multimillion dollar media empire.</s>CLARK: There'll be some other surprises along the way.</s>ENDO: Clark also had a hand in the global fundraiser live aid, and in a grassroots, farm aid. He was inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.</s>CLARK: That's a nice beat. See? You said the magic words.</s>ENDO: From the days of early rock to the present, Dick Clark had a way of bringing us the tunes that had a good beat and memories of Saturday afternoon sock hops. I'm Sandra Endo reporting.</s>CROWLEY: We want to go back out to California now, and our entertainment reporter, Kareen Wynter. Kareen, have we heard from the family?</s>KAREEN WYNTER, CNN ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER: Well, they put out a statement a short time ago. I'll read that to you, Candy, and also, just a plethora of tweets coming from those in the entertainment industry. As for the family's statement, it reads, "Entertainment icon, Dick Clark, passes away this morning at the age of 82 following a massive heart attack." It was announced by his family, Clark 82, had entered St. John's Hospital. That's a hospital here in Santa Monica, California, Candy. He went in last night for an outpatient procedure, but attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful. He's survived by his wife, Kari, and his three children. You know, another icon in the industry, not yet to the status of -- or the height of Dick Clark, yet, but he's well on his way, Ryan Seacrest, he put out a statement. As you know, he worked very, very closely with Dick Clark over the years with Dick Clark's "New Years Rockin' Eve Bash." Let me read that to you, Candy. It says here, "I'm 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 even for the last six years." He described Dick Clark as smart, charming, funny, and always a true gentleman, and that's really how the world remembers this amazingly talented entertainer. Dick Clark -- Candy.</s>CROWLEY: Kareen, thanks so much. I know you're busy doing some phoning, so we'll let you go, but we want to bring in our CNN senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen. Elizabeth, as I'm reading some of this stuff coming in, not only did Dick Clark have a stroke. We learned that he also had diabetes, and he was 82. What interests me a little bit about this statement is the fact that he had some sort of outpatient surgery last night, unspecified, and then had a massive heart attack this morning. For someone with those -- working with those complications, I can imagine that any kind of outpatient procedure might come with risks.</s>ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. Absolutely, Candy, and that caught my eye as well, and so, you have to wonder, was there a relationship between that procedure and the heart attack? You know, that's really difficult to know. You would only know if you were in that inner circle. I mean, certainly, Dick Clark had health problems. He went on "Larry King Live" in 2004 and revealed for the first time that he had been diagnosed with diabetes ten years before and actually what he had to say was really prescient, and so, I really want to listen to that. So, let's take a listen to what he had to say on "Larry King Live" in 2004.</s>CLARK: Larry, two-thirds of people with diabetes don't realize the seriousness that it can cause their heart. They don't realize they can have a stroke and drop dead of a heart attack, so you've got to get this thing under control. The other portion is two-thirds of the people with diabetes die from heart disease so that two-thirds number is kind of bothersome.</s>COHEN: So, Candy, just months after saying that on "Larry King Live," Dick Clark did have a stroke, and of course, today, we've learned that he's had a massive heart attack. And he was on Larry King talking about that relationship between diabetes, strokes, and heart disease. As he said, two-thirds of people with diabetes die from heart disease and that appears to be what happened to him -- Candy.</s>CROWLEY: I was just looking at some of these pictures. I tell you, he -- so many times, you looked at him and he just seemed to be the picture of health. And, I don't know how long he'd been suffering from diabetes, perhaps, you have, but that's a very serious disease to carry through the years.</s>COHEN: Yes. He said he was diagnosed in 1994, so that would have made him approximately in his mid-60s. So, he had type 2 diabetes, you know, for a good two decades or so before he, unfortunately, passed away. Type 2 diabetes is a very serious illness. It is, unfortunately, all too common in this country. And I think he was trying to really make a public health point. So, maybe what we can add to his list of incredible achievement to this lifetime, we can add list -- we can add public advocate, because he was really trying to tell people get type 2 diabetes under control because it does leave you so vulnerable to strokes and heart attacks.</s>CROWLEY: Our medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen. Thanks, Elizabeth. Joining us on the phone, Alan Osmond, the oldest of the famous Osmond Brothers. He worked with Dick Clark for years. Mr. Osmond, thank you so much for joining us. I am struck by the number of people we have spoken to that have -- and this is normal when someone dies to say nice thing, but these are glowing things, and the word mentor and influence comes up so often. Is it the same with you?</s>ALAN OSMOND, OSMOND BROTHERS: Absolutely. Not me only, my brothers, Donnie and Marie and Jimmy. There are a whole lot of us. Dick Clark and his sweet wife were very important part of our lives. And you know, he was meant -- he knew the industry better than anybody. He not only gave the awards out. He helped people like you just talked about. He was most gracious, and he also had a booking agency. The book does (ph) and the Jackson 5 at the same time around the country for several years. I know him as a wonderful man, a gracious man, and as someone that I'm very -- we have fond memories of. He is -- he helped our career tremendously.</s>CROWLEY: It sounds like he did that for a lot of young artists. What do you think overall is his music legacy?</s>OSMOND: Well, he knew the music. He controlled the industry, basically, and he awarded those that were successful. The funny thing is that he helped make them successful. We love being with Dick Clark, and we've been to his home and we knew him as a wonderful man. We had laughs together. We strategized together, and he would tell us what he thought, and, boy, I tell you, he didn't do anything except what Dick Clark said to do. So, we're glad that we were a part of his life and that he was a part of ours.</s>CROWLEY: It seems like he did have a magic formula of some sort. Can you remember the first time you met him, were you in awe or did he set you immediately at ease?</s>OSMOND: Oh, of course, everyone wanted to meet Dick Clark. And, he was just very open to everybody. He wasn't -- you know, he knew he was kind of up on top of the industry, and he knew everybody -- he'd call a favor and anyone would say yes. And that's the way he was, and we tried to be the same back to him, but just an honor to know him as a friend.</s>CROWLEY: And it seems as though he was a friend. I mean, personally, it seems as though we did ser on TV what he was really like. Is that true?</s>OSMOND: Oh, yes. He and his sweet wife. We'd go and we'd have -- we were at his house one day and also his office and on the phone constantly, he'd call and give us advice. We'd be on tour and we'd just always check in, and he was just always at work, and yet, had a very peaceful and happy way about him.</s>CROWLEY: What do you think accounts for his longevity on television? It's not necessarily a medium that is kind to people over the years, and yet, he had more than 40 years on TV. What was it about him?</s>OSMOND: Well, I don't know. He had an intuition. He had a gift. I would say Dick Clark was gifted. He had a way of seeing through from one point to the next and how to get there, and that's not only in the industry of music and TV, but also in the touring industry of which we worked with him for quite a few years. So, I just honor him as a very bright and a very loving and kind man that had a gift.</s>CROWLEY: Alan Osmond, oldest brother of the Osmond Brothers. Thanks for joining us this afternoon.</s>OSMOND: You bet. Thank you.</s>CROWLEY: Alan Also on the phone, Tony Orlando of Tony Orlando and Dawn. So much of my childhood seems to be hitting me in the face here today. Mr. Orlando, thank you for joining us. Your reflections, please, on the man that I am learning was, perhaps, as kind in private as he appeared to be on</s>TV. TONY ORLANDO, TONY ORLANDO AND DAWN: Well, he was, Candy. And you know, it's amazing when you said your childhood. My childhood began with him. I was 16 years old the first time I ever did "American Bandstand." I'm now 68. Fifty-one years ago, I met this man, March 15, 1961, the day my first record was released for the "Paradise." I think it was Carol King's first as a writer, and Dick had us on the show -- had me on the show as a 16-year-old newcomer. I mean, I think Dick Clark, without a question -- I think only God is responsible for making more stars than Dick Clark. I really do. I think he really was the manufacturer of the music business as we know it today. He was the pied piper. He was the guy who created careers, but like Alan just mentioned, he was also a mentor and cared about you as a person, Candy. He would definitely, without question, call you. If you did a show -- if you did "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson or you were on Letterman, he would be the first one to call you. His wife, Kari, who I know is really sad today, and she has been a dedicated wife, and she's been an amazing friend to all of us. My heart goes out to her. My prayers go out to her, but Candy, this is an American icon in the truest sense of the world where he is the fabric of the music business. He is the guy who weaved the tapestry that we know of as the music industry whether it be Tony Orlando as a 60-year-old kid, whether be chubby checker doing the twist or the Beatles or the Rolling Stones. You had to go through the world and the universe of Dick Clark in order to be part of the record business. And of course, as a man -- my gosh, I don't think I've ever met anybody in the industry who is exactly on stage as he was off stage. He was humble, he was a genius, he was kind, he was caring. He was all those things that you hoped someone like that would be, and you know what, Candy? Right to the very last day of his last breath, just recently along with another Osmond, Marie Osmond on the daytime Emmys, we both did a tribute to him two years ago. And I watched Dick cry as we made the tribute to him, and I don't think too many people got a chance to see Dick cry, because he was one of those stoic kind of personalities who always had a driving force to complete it, but he showed that he -- when that audience stood and we finished our tribute to him and to see him shed his tears on national television is a moment I will never forget. I will miss him. I know the country misses him, and I'm glad to see, Candy, that you're hearing it, as you put it, in glowing report about what a wonderful, incredibly talented and wonderful genuine human being Dick Clark is and was.</s>CROWLEY: Tony Orlando of Tony Orlando and Dawn. Thank you so much for your remembrances today. We appreciate it.</s>ORLANDO: My pleasure and honor. Thank you.</s>CROWLEY: Once again, Dick Clark, icon, entertainer, host, star of so many shows of his own and so many others. You're looking now at Hollywood's Walk of Fame. That, of course, is Dick Clark's star. We'll be right back.