Yahoo Lifestyle Dick Van Dyke Explains Why He's 'Not Afraid' To Die As His 99th Birthday Nears
Dick Van Dyke revealed why he’s “not afraid” of death while speaking in a Coldplay music video released Friday, one week before his 99th birthday.
“I’m acutely aware that I’m, you know, could go any day now, but I don’t know why it doesn’t concern me. I’m not afraid of it,” said Van Dyke, who stars in the “All My Love” video paying tribute to his life.
“I have that feeling, totally against anything intellectual, that I’m going to be all right.”
The video — directed by Spike Jonze and Mary Wigmore — showed the legendary “Mary Poppins” actor singing, dancing barefoot and requesting a song about “old age” as he sat down behind a piano with Coldplay singer Chris Martin.
Van Dyke also looked at family photos and gathered with loved ones in the video, reflecting on the meaning of love and calling himself a “lucky” person “who got to do for a living what I would have done anyway.”
“When you think how lucky I am, I got to do what I do: play and act silly,” he said.
Martin, appearing on Thursday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” with Van Dyke, said that his “No. 1 movie” is “Mary Poppins” and laughed while estimating he’s seen it thousands of times.
Martin also said the actor is “like a neighbor,” living just miles away from him, and that he once invited Van Dyke to join him and his children for breakfast a few years ago.
Reflecting on the making of the “All My Love” video, the singer said, “It was really maybe the most fun thing I’ve ever done,” adding: “It makes me so grateful. It’s a big deal for me.”
Van Dyke recalled seeing Martin show off his musical talents during the shoot, with the actor noting that he’s “from the days of Dixieland and ragtime.”
“How did you know how to play ragtime?” Van Dyke asked Martin.
“I’m a professional musician,” Martin replied.
The actor said he finds Martin’s music to be “beautiful.” And when asked about his plans for his 99th birthday on Friday, Dec.13 — the day Coldplay is set to drop a shorter version of the “All My Love” video — he said he wants to “hide out.”
