Happy 99th Birthday to Dick Van Dyke!

And a Music Video You Must See

The absolute best thing on the internet right now is a music video Chris Martin made for Dick Van Dyke’s 99^th birthday.

Martin, who is the lead singer for the band Coldplay, said he wanted to do the video for the song “All My Love” with Van Dyke because he’s a huge fan of the actor. On “Jimmy Kimmel Live” he talked about how “Mary Poppins” is his all-time favorite movie. Which was filmed 60 years ago. Crazy, right?

The video, directed by Spike Jonze and Mary Wigmore, was made in Van Dyke’s Malibu California backyard. At the end, he is surrounded by his family. Four children and a seemingly ton of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Astonishingly, Van Dyke is still completely with it. And still funny. He quipped to Kimmel that he’s old enough to be Joe Biden’s father.

Van Dyke says that is the secret to aging well is to keep moving. He even wrote a book titled, “Keep Moving.” And in the video, he shows that he is still lithe and graceful. There’s also gotta be some excellent genes at play because Van Dyke was a heavy smoker and is a fifty-year sober alcoholic.

Van Dyke, who was born in West Plains, Missouri on December 13, 1925, says he has no big plans for his birthday this year. I’m hoping that he makes it to 100 but after we lost Betty White only weeks before her big birthday, I don’t want to give him a kenahora (which is Yiddish for not jinxing it).

Another fun fact I discovered when I did a little research on Van Dyke is that he is a descendant of John Alden. As in John Alden of the Mayflower. (I’ve been a little obsessed with the Mayflower this year.)

Van Dyke truly seems to be an all-around nice guy, good father/granddad/great-granddad, citizen, etc. Like Martin, and probably most people on the planet, I too am a big fan. I remember watching him and Mary Tyler Moore on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” which ran from 1961-1966. The show was pure magic. I also loved the movie “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”- I’m still hoping that there will someday be a flying car. “Oh you, pretty Chitty Bang Bang, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, we love you.”

If you want to start your week off on a happy and positive note, watch the video of “All My Love.” And then watch it again. It’s actually just a clip of the official music video which will be released this Friday on Van Dyke’s actual birthday. I can’t wait to view the entire thing.

I hope you will join me in wishing Dick Van Dyke a very happy 99^th birthday. His has been a life very well lived.