One of the greatest entertainers of our time is Dick Van Dyke. Despite the fact that he has kept us smiling for decades, he has had his share of problems in the background.
Dick Van Dyke was born in West Plains, Missouri, as Richard Wayne van Dyke. He is an actor who is known for his comedy and his versatility, but when he played in ‘Bye-Bye Birdie’ in 1960, he became a household name.
He was also in many other well-known movies, including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins. His television show, which was named after him, was also well-known and he ended up winning four Emmy awards.
When he was young, he married a woman named Margie Willett. He said: “When I was 20, I began dating a local girl I had known for years growing up in Danville, Illinois – Margie Willett.” This was before he became famous.
They were married in 1948 and a rather unusual way. A radio producer said that he would pay for the wedding and their honeymoon if they got married on a live radio show. Van Dyke said: “So, in 1948 we exchanged our vows in front of a minister and two radio microphones while 15 million people listened!”
They then started growing a family and they focused on the family well. Unfortunately, she did suffer a miscarriage early in their marriage but they ended up having four children.
Dick Van Dyke was very proud of his family, saying: “Margie miscarried twins, but went on to have four children who turned out to be truly admirable. Margie did the work, but I will take some credit.
“As the father of four, the grandfather of seven and a great-grandfather four times over, why not?”
One of the issues that they faced during their marriage was his battle with alcoholism. It lasted for some 25 years and he spoke about the effect it had on the family. He said: “I tried to be a good role model to my children, but I was an alcoholic for 25 years, which inevitably impacted on family life.
“When I went into therapy, I realized I was repeating my father’s mistakes. When I pledged to quit and entered a rehab clinic, Margie checked in as I checked out. I thought she’d come to pick me up, but it turned out she was hooked on antidepressants. I had no idea. What a pair. Our addictions were symptomatic of deeper problems in our relationship and we were drifting apart.”
As all of this was going on, he met a former actress and legal secretary, Michelle Triola. The two of them began to form a bond very quickly.
He said: “She was feisty, smart and, unlike Margie, knew the showbiz world inside out.”
Eventually, Van Dyke and Willett divorced in 1984 and the two of them ended up in a committed partnership. Dick Van Dyke said: “Margie and I divorced, and Michelle and I went on to have 35 very happy years together. We talked about marrying, but I could never get her to put a date in the diary.”
Unfortunately, his ex-wife passed away in 2008 from pancreatic cancer. He was affected by the death, despite their divorce, saying that he felt as if he had lost a part of himself.
When Triola was diagnosed with lung cancer, it really threw him for a loop. He said: “A year later, more heartbreaking news — Michelle’s doctor found a spot on her lung. She spent her last week in a coma. Her doctor said she could still hear, so I sang and talked to her until the hospice nurses told me she was gone.”
That was in 2009, and he recalls her final moments, saying: “When she asked if she was going to die, I pretended I didn’t know – the hardest acting I have ever done. After she passed, I realized I had never been without a companion looking out for me.”
Van Dyke met Arlene Silver in 2006. She was a makeup artist and 46 years younger than him, but it didn’t start as a romantic relationship. He did approach her, however, and admits that he had never approached a strange woman in his life.
He said: “And she walked by and I jumped and said, ‘Hi, I’m Dick.’ I had no idea she was half my age. Beautiful.”
After the death of Triola, their friendship became a romance and she moved in with him. They were married in 2012.
Despite the age gap, he said that they don’t really feel it. He admits that he is ’emotionally immature’ and went on to say: “Arlene is very wise for her age, so we meet in the middle.”
She agreed, saying: “We were friends for so long that when I told people that I know, they were happy about [our relationship], and I was scared. I mean, the facts, our age difference. But it’s so irrelevant. I think when you see us together, it’s like you don’t think about it.”
Things change over time and we wish them the best in their life together.