“I’m Just Glad To Still Be Here” – 96-Year-Old Actor Dick Van Dyke

Foreign tabloids have this thing they do with paparazzi and their obsession with celebrities. Dick Van Dyke, popular for his show eponymous show in the ‘60s and for appearing in the two Mary Poppins movies, is the latest victim of this obsession.

The 96-year-old star was recently spotted leaving a restaurant where he had lunch with a friend and was ambushed by the paparazzi. Reacting to a question posed about the recent Father’s Day celebration, the actor quipped, “I’m just glad to still be here.”

The actor has, naturally, retired from active acting, but still makes occasional appearances in select projects. Most notably, in recent memory, is his vocal role in the Jim Carrey Showtime drama Kidding and a cameo in the 2018 Disney musical Mary Poppins Returns, a follow-up to the popular 1964 musical starring himself and Julie Andrews.

So, while I think it’s great Dick Van Dyke is still around with us and is hale and hearty, I think it’ll be even greater if he can be left alone to enjoy what’s left of his life in peace. Not like it’s any better, but if the paparazzi are looking for people to stalk, there are a lot of younger celebrity folks out there who have the strength to wade them off and, in some cases, don’t mind the intrusion.