Nostalgia

Dick Van Dyke is 91 years old and he had a better year than all of us

The living legend danced, sang and had his best year ever in 2016.

December 13, 2016, 10:02AM By MeTV Staff

Images: (clockwise from top left) Cindy Rohrbough, ABC, NBC, Cindy Rohrbough

2016 was quite the roller coaster, huh?

But if there's one bright spot about this year, it's Dick Van Dyke. Whether he was bursting out into song, dancing or making us laugh, the iconic performer proved he probably had a better year than all of us. Let's take a look.

It all started last December at Van Dyke's 90th birthday celebration at Disneyland. He was greeted by a flashmob performing his song "Step in Time," from Mary Poppins.

Van Dyke was so excited, he decided to join the group for an impromptu performance of "Let's Go Fly a Kite," also from the 1964 musical film.

Fast forward to February, when ABC aired The Wonderful World of Disney: Disneyland 60 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Walt Disney's innovative theme park. The special included a bunch of different performances of classic Disney tunes like "Be Our Guest," "Part of Your World" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice."

Professional dancer Derek Hough also performed a lively routine to "Step in Time." Just look at some of his moves!

ABC

But Hough couldn't compete with what happened next.

ABC

Yep, that's 90-year-old Dick Van Dyke doing a flawless choreography. Can you do that at your age? I sure can't!

See Also: Dick Van Dyke proves he's still got it at 90

So by February, Van Dyke had already done more than most of us did this whole year. But he wasn't done yet.

In June, the nonagenarian lead a sing-along to "Let's Go Fly a Kite" outside Walt Disney's birthplace in Chicago. He proved he still had the vocal chops, as well as a wicked sense of humor.

"So this just happened," said witness Nicolas DeGrazia on Facebook, "He marches out on to the steps... and says 'Hi! I'm what's left of Dick Van Dyke!' Then he busts out laughing."

This year wasn't just about Van Dyke's famous role in Mary Poppins, either. In August, the performer paid homage to 1968 film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by spontaneously bursting out into song at a local Denny's with his a capella group, The Vantastix.

Seriously, we're not making this stuff up!

See Also: Dick Van Dyke opens up about working with Mary Tyler Moore

So here we are. It's Dick Van Dyke's 91st birthday, and he just had one of the best years of his life! We can't wait to see what the legend has in store for 2017.

Happy birthday, Dick! Thanks for inspiring us to "keep moving" as we grow older!

You can watch Van Dyke on Diagnosis Murder, weekdays at 11AM | 10C on MeTV.