LOS ANGELES — Four years after a stroke, Dick Clark is relishing the prospect of another New Year’s Eve, his 36th from Times Square.
Clark, 79, said in a recent interview by e-mail that his appearance on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2009,” diminished though it may be, is a labor of love and “not really a job.”
Clark woke up with right-side paralysis on Dec. 6, 2004. “Your life changes overnight,” he said. (Regis Philbin filled in for Clark that year.) Clark still uses a walker or wheelchair, and speaking is difficult.
“I am one of the fortunate ones who survived and have been minimally impaired,” he said, “so I’m just thankful I’m still able to enjoy this once-a-year treat of bringing in the New Year.” The Associated Press
