97-year-old Van Dyke drives his Lexus into a gate amidst heavy rain, sustains minor injuries

Los Angeles, March 23

Actor and comedian Dick Van Dyke sustained minor injuries after a single-vehicle car accident in Malibu, California.

Shortly after 11 a.m. on March 15, responding officers found the 97-year-old had driven his silver Lexus into a gate amidst heavy rain, according to CNN, reports Variety.

The Malibu Sheriff Department confirmed that Van Dyke appeared to be the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle. Standard traffic collision reports and evaluations took place following officers’ response.

In February, Van Dyke became the oldest celebrity to compete on ‘The Masked Singer’.

The actor sang Billie Holliday’s ‘When You’re Smiling’ under the guise of an enchanted forest gnome.

“It looked like fun to me which it was. I did it because I knew that nobody would have ever guess they’d have a 97-year-old guy on there,” he said.

Van Dyke appeared in the original cast of the 1960 Broadway musical ‘Bye, Bye Birdie’ and soon became a notable American figure with his role in ‘Dick Van Dyke Show’, which ran from 1961-1966.

He went on to appear in several films, including the movie adaptation of ‘Bye, Bye Birdie’ (1963) and ‘Chitty Chitty Bang Bang’ (1968).

He has won a Tony, Grammy, a daytime Emmy and four primetime Emmys for his performances over the years, plus he received two Golden Globe nominations.

Van Dyke has four children, Christian, Barry, Stacy and Carrie Beth. In 2012, he married Arlene Silver, whom he met six years earlier at the SAG Awards.

IANS