"He has been cremated, but no other plans have been finalized," Clark publicist Paul Shefrin said.
Clark, 82, suffered a
heart attack Wednesday while at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica,
California, for an outpatient procedure, Shefrin said. Attempts to
resuscitate Clark were unsuccessful, he said.
As the host of the
popular "American Bandstand," Clark shaped American tastes in music
trends, and with a fresh-scrubbed, boy-next-door persona, he introduced
the world to likes of Buddy Holly and James Brown.
In December 2004, Clark
suffered what was then described as "a mild stroke," just months after
announcing he had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
That stroke forced Clark
to cut back on his on-camera work, including giving up the hosting
duties for the "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" specials. He
appeared briefly as a co-host with Ryan Seacrest on December 31, 2005.
Born Richard Wagstaff
Clark in Mount Vernon, New York, on November 30, 1929, he began his
broadcast career working at a radio station managed by his father.
Clark's "American
Bandstand" began as a local TV show in Philadelphia in 1956. The show
was picked up by ABC and broadcast nationally a year later.
By 1958, it was the show to watch, with 40 million viewers tuning in to learn about the latest in music.
"If you didn't go on 'American Bandstand,' you hadn't made it yet," singer Aretha Franklin told CNN's "AC360."
The savvy entrepreneur
was a pioneer in introducing African-American groups and other
performers to millions of young TV viewers.
His audiences were among the first integrated on television.
In 1960, the Ku Klux
Klan sent death threats to Clark when he brought his short-lived
"American Bandstand" spinoff "The Dick Clark Show" to Atlanta. The
National Guard was called in to protect the show and its integrated
audience -- black and white teens.
Source: CNN News
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