Dick Van Dyke Drops Out of Fan Event, Wife Explains it Was ‘Not a Good Day For Him’

Dick Van Dyke dropped out of a public appearance on Saturday during the third edition of Vandy Camp, a fan event held at the Arlene & Dick Van Dyke Theater at Malibu High School. His wife, Arlene Silver, confirmed that the actor was not going to attend the event as originally planned (via USA Today).

As Silver took the stage, she introduced herself as “not the Van Dyke you’re expecting,” and explained that Van Dyke would not be attending Vandy Camp this year in person.

“I’m sorry,” said Silver to the Vandy Camp audience. “When you’re 99-and-a-half years old, you have good days and bad days, and when you’re 40 years old, you have good days and bad days. Unfortunately, today is not a good day for him, and he’s sick that he can’t be here.”

Even though Van Dyke was not in attendance, Silver told the audience that he would be tuning in from home. Fans from around the world voiced their appreciation for the actor after Silver addressed the crowd, asking for everyone to tell Van Dyke what he “meant to them.” Van Dyke made a brief appearance via livestream during Vandy Camp shortly after.

During the livestream, Silver said that she was “pretty confident” that Van Dyke would be in attendance for the next Vandy Camp.

Vandy Camp is a one-day event with performances by Van Dyke, Silver and their group Vantastix. With conversations from Van Dyke and Silver, the event incorporates live music, selected clips from Van Dyke’s career and a Q&A session.