Dick Van Dyke is, ironically, feeling more alive than ever in the lead-up to his milestone 100th birthday on December 13, and he's proud of it!
The legendary performer is weeks away from hitting the big day, and couldn't be happier about not only getting there, but also being as chipper as usual, telling People: "I feel really good for 100." The actor has remained extremely active, highly unusual for his age, with recent highlights like appearing on The Masked Singer at age 97 and his continuing local performances to show for it.
"Sometimes I have more energy than others — but I never wake up in a bad mood," he continued, although still joked: "I hope I make it!" Despite dealing with some of the health issues that come with his age, like hearing loss and an imbalance in his movement, he's still singing and dancing in his home in Malibu with his wife, Arlene Silver.
Dick and Arlene, who is nearly 46 years his junior, first met in 2006 and eventually tied the knot in 2012, and he credits her with keeping him young and full of life. "She's responsible for keeping me in the moment."
"She kept me happy every day of my life, every day," he gushed. "She's a joy. She can get me singing or dancing and she carries so much responsibility… I'm just lucky." On a more somber note, while he acknowledged that "the end of my life is so much closer," he isn't afraid of death.
He frankly shared with the publication: "When you expire, you expire. I don't have any fear of death for some reason. I can't explain that but I don't. I've had such a wonderfully full and exciting life. That I can't complain."
Having recently published his book 100 Rules for Living to 100, in which he shares some of the stories from his life that inform his philosophy and positive outlook, the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang star looks fondly on his career, and calls the experiences and work he's created his greatest legacy.
"What I left in the way of children's entertainment and children's music — that's my legacy," the Disney Legend shared. "I don't think remembering me is that important. But it's the music, the music we leave behind."
"For as long as children are proudly belting out their new word,' Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,' or singing and skipping along to 'Chim Chim Cher-ee,' the most important part of me will always be alive," he gushes, noting especially his most popular output from 1964's Academy Award winning Mary Poppins.
He cements his eternal optimism by closing out his conversation with the poignant "I want to thank the public for giving me such a wonderful life," pointing to his positive "outlook" being something he was "born" with. "I think I’ve decided that people are born with an outlook."
"I just think I was born with a brighter outlook. I look at the horizon. I think some people are born just to have to fight against a downward spiral. And after 100 years, I think I'm right."