Showbiz legend Dick Van Dyke celebrated his milestone 100th birthday on December 13, 2025.
At the time, little information was revealed about how the beloved “Mary Poppins” star marked the occasion.
Now, nearly nine months later, one of the party’s attendees is coming forward to share some sweet details about the celebration.
A Lot of Singing
Michelle Lee — who’s been a close friend of Van Dyke ever since they starred together in 1969 film “The Comic” — was one of just a handful of guests invited to the intimate soiree.
Appearing on the “Tom & Mickey” podcast, the 84-year-old actress shared her experience of celebrating with her longtime friend.
“I was there at his party,” she said.
“And the only people there at his 100th, which was at his house, were the guys he sings with all the time, the barbershop guys, relatives and his grandchildren,” she said, referencing Van Dyke’s a cappella barbershop quartet, the Vantastix, with whom he’s performed for more than 20 years.
“So at his 100th, they play — the guys, the barbershop guys — did everything you could ever think of that Dick sang and sure enough, Dick and his wife sat, and they sang song after song after song,” Lee recalled.
A Decades-Long Friendship
GettyDuring that podcast appearance, Lee — best known for her TV role in “Dallas” spinoff “Knot’s Landing” — recalled how their decades-long frienship began.
As she stated, “a very close friend of his was a close friend of mine. And I ended up doing a movie called ‘The Comic.’”
In that film, she played the wife of Van Dyke’s character, a silent-film comedian in the early days of Hollywood.
“And I stayed friends with Dick Van Dyke,” she added.
He ‘Feels Pretty Good for 100’
In a November 2025 interview with People ahead of his centenary, Van Dyke shared his feelings on his upcoming 100th birthday.
“I feel really good for 100,” he shared.
“Sometimes I have more energy than others — but I never wake up in a bad mood,” he added.
Asked what he felt was the most surprising thing he’d discovered about turning 100, he joked, “The fact that I made it.”
His attitude, he insisted, had remained youthful. “I feel like I’m about 13,” he explained.
As for the reasons behind his impressive longevity and ongoing vigor, Van Dyke admitted that he’s as baffled as anyone about why he’s kept on going.
He did, however, offer a theory that banishing hatred and grudges from his thoughts could be the key.
“People say ‘What did you do right?’” he said. “I don’t know. I’m rather lazy. I’ve always thought that anger is one thing that eats up a person’s insides — and hate. And I never really was able to work up a feeling of hate. I think that is one of the chief things that kept me going.”
“There were things I didn’t like, people I don’t like and disapprove of,” he continued. “But I never really was able to do a white heat kind of hate.”
