Dick Van Dyke had 4 children from his over 3 decades of marriage to his first wife and Stacy Van Dyke happens to be the 3rd of the kids. She followed in her father’s footsteps and became a famous entertainer, showcasing her singing and acting talents.
Stacy went on to have her own family and just like keeping the family tradition going, her son is also an entertainer.
Since her last movie credit which dates back to 2002, there hasn’t been much news about the celebrity child. However, it seems like passed on sometime in 2017.
Stacy Van Dyke was Born into a Family of Entertainers
Stacy was born as the first daughter but 3rd child of Dick Van Dyke and Margie Willet. Her father is an Iconic American actor who is best known for his role as Bert in Disney’s Mary Poppins.
Her parents were married for 36 years and they, interestingly, got married on a radio show because they didn’t have the money to have a proper wedding ceremony. The wedding was highly publicized as over 15 million people listened to it.
Her parent’s marriage survived for just about 36 years before they called it quits and Dick went on to have many more relationships and even got married to another woman named Arlene Silver.
Before Margie and Dick had their 4 kids, they suffered a miscarriage of twins. However, they kept trying and eventually had their famous kids.
Stacy has 2 older brothers and a younger sister from her parent’s marriage. Her older brothers are Christian Van Dyke who was born in 1950 and also towed their father’s entertainment path, and Barry Van Dyke who was born on July 31, 1951.
Barry, just like their father, became an actor and continued to be part of his father’s business for a long time.
She was born sometime between 1955 and 1956 and just like is with the Van Dyke family, found her place in the entertainment industry. She did very well for herself as a musician and composer and can be remembered for some of her notable songs like ‘Away in a Manger’, a famous holiday song.
After Stacy came Carrie Beth Van Dyke who was born in 1961. She married a musician and actor but chose a life outside the limelight despite literally growing up in front of the cameras.
IMDB also gives a long list of Stacy Van Dyke’s relatives comprising uncles, nieces, and other family members.
Stacy Van Dyke Knew She Could Sing as a Child
Growing up with a background in entertainment was not the only pointer for Stacy. At a very young age, she already knew that she had a talent for singing and performing.
She participated in several shows as a young student and her parents were available for her performances.
However, it wasn’t until her teen years, at the age of 14, that Stacy realized that she had a passion for art and singing. As a result, she began to hone her passion and was soon known for her voice and singing abilities.
By the time she was 23, she was already a well-known singer and had harnessed her talent properly.
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She has Been Featured in a Couple of Movies
As an actress, Dick Van Dyke’s daughter has been featured on a couple of his productions. She was bit by the same bug that bit her father and older brother, at an early age.
Stacy had a role in The New Dick Van Dyke Show as Sally. On Diagnosis Murder, she played the role of Carol Hilton. On Diagnosis Murder: Town Without Pity which was released in 2002, she played Carol as well but this time her last name was Sloan.
The 2002-released production was the last recorded movie credit for Stacy. She was about 46 years old then.
She even got to perform with her father at a benefit in Phoenix. That was when Dick acknowledged that his daughter was a good performer, after so many years of watching her perform.
Van Dyke’s daughter subsequently joined a performing group known as Barnstormers sometime in the 1970s. She performed in a couple of theatrical shows including a 1970’s production at the Windmill Dinner Theatre
Stacy Van Dyke Married a Fellow Musician
Stacy Van Dyke met a man named Mike Breen when she joined the performing group Barnstormers. Mike was a musician and member of the group.
The song ‘Away in a Manger’ was released as a collaboration between Stacy and Mike Breen.
They got married in July 1979 in Arizona and together welcomed a son named Ryan Michael Breen.
Their son is also creative like his parents in the music industry. He is an audio creative, music maker, and sound experience facilitator. He lives in Los Angeles, California.
Dick Van Dyke’s Daughter Passed Away
For a long while now, the whereabouts of Van Dyke have been relatively unknown. Questions about why she stopped acting in 2002 and many more concerns have been raised over the past few years.
Stacy Van Dyke has, in recent times, been referred to using past tenses. On Ryan Michael’s social media platforms, he pays tributes to his mother and refers to her as though she is no more.
The comment section most times have also been filled with tributes for her with people admitting how much they miss her.
When Ryan uploaded a reel of his mother’s photos in May 2023, celebrating Mother’s Day. In the comment section a commenter replied by saying ‘Happy Heavenly Mother’s Day Stacy’.
On Ryan Michael Breen’s LinkedIn profile, he stated that he created Friends of Stacy’s. A platform for all lovers of his mother and her art and also as a tribute to her.
