In a new health diary for The Times, Dick Van Dyke thanked his 54-year-old wife, Arlene, for keeping him young, but admitted he is struggling with loneliness as he nears 100. While the actor explained that he is committed to preserving both his joy and his health, he feels “diminished” both “physically and socially”. The 99-year-old shared that “every single one of my dearest lifelong friends is gone, which feels just as lonely as it sounds”. Dick will celebrate his 100th birthday on December 13. “Without question, our ongoing romance is the most important reason I have not withered away into a hermetic grouch,” he penned about his wife.
Dick continued: “Arlene is half my age, and she makes me feel somewhere between two thirds and three quarters my age, which is still saying a lot.” However, despite his wife’s support, Dick is beginning to feel the effects of his age. He explained that because he feels “diminished,” he can no longer travel long distances and has had to decline event invitations and job opportunities outside his home in California. “That kind of travel takes so much out of me that I have to say no,” he penned.
The actor went on to reflect on his home life in California and how it has been affected by the current Republican administration. “I just lived through two Southern California wildfires in less than a month, right out my front door, including the worst one in history. Daily, I spiral into anguish over the mayhem and cruelty being inflicted on the entire world by those in power. So yes, I suppose at certain times of day I am the grumpy old man who yells at the TV,” he wrote. “For the vast majority of my years. I have been in what I can only describe as a full-on bear hug with the experience of living. Being alive has been doing life not like a job but rather like a giant playground.”
© DisneyThe 99-year-old met his current wife, makeup artist Arene Silver, at a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) awards dinner back in 2006. Despite remaining friends for years, the pair pursued a romantic relationship after Arlene helped Dick mourn his deceased partner, Michelle Triola. The couple married in February 2012 and have remained together ever since.
Earlier this month, Steve Boettcher, the director of the upcoming film Dick Van Dyke: 100th Celebration, revealed what the secret to Dick’s longevity really is: his wife. “Honestly, I think she’s been a key force in keeping him so vibrant and alive today. I really feel that that love affair is amazing. I think they just want to play,” he told People.
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