I never got to meet Dick Clark in person. My earliest memory is watching American Bandstand and seeing a very young Michael Jackson performing with the Jackson 5 on an old black and white tv. I was impressed because Michael wasn’t all that much older than me.
Years later, I got to work in the building that rumor had it was built for Dick Clark. He opted instead for Los Angeles, the story went.
A year or so before he suffered a stroke, I did get to talk to Dick. He was visiting Japan at the time and had a terrible cold, but I had to do a satellite interview with him about the American Music Awards. I don’t remember much of the interview, but we had a chance to chat for just a minute or two beforehand. He had not forgotten many of the people with whom he worked in Philadelphia, and asked me about them and how they were doing. That really struck a chord with me, that no matter how successful he had become since leaving Philadelphia, he never forgot the people who helped him get started.
Good man. New Year’s won’t be the same. RIP.
