When you think of TV royalty, Dick Van Dyke is usually at the top of the list. We’ve seen him dance with penguins and solve crimes as a singing doctor, but the woman who was by his side during his meteoric rise often stays in the shadows. People often find themselves wondering, is Margie Willett still alive? It’s a fair question, especially since Dick himself is still out there at 100 years old, looking like he could out-dance most people half his age.
But for Margie, the story is different.
She wasn't really built for the bright lights of Hollywood. Honestly, she hated it. While Dick was becoming a household name, Margie was trying to keep their four kids grounded and away from the chaos. It’s one of those classic "behind the scenes" stories that feels a bit bittersweet when you look at the timeline.
Is Margie Willett still alive today?
To get straight to the point: No, Margie Willett is not still alive. She passed away in 2008.
It’s been over fifteen years since she died, yet her name pops up constantly. Why? Probably because she was the anchor for one of the most beloved entertainers in history for over thirty years. She died at the age of 81 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. It's a tough way to go, and it happened just a year before Dick’s long-time partner, Michelle Triola, also passed away from cancer.
Losing her hit Dick hard. Even though they had been divorced for decades, he famously said that with her death, he "lost a part of myself." That tells you everything you need to know about the bond they had, even when things got messy.
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The wedding that 15 million people heard
Their start was basically a movie script. They were young, broke, and grew up together in Danville, Illinois. They couldn't even afford a wedding.
Then, a radio producer offered to pay for the whole thing and their honeymoon if they’d get married on air. So, in 1948, on a show called Bride and Groom, they said "I do" while 15 million people listened in. Can you imagine that today? It would be like getting married on a massive viral livestream because you’re flat broke.
Life in the shadow of the spotlight
Margie was often described as "earthy." She didn't do the heavy makeup or the fancy Hollywood parties. In fact, she was so low-key that people sometimes mistook her and Dick for brother and sister.
Once, she was buying copies of a magazine with Dick on the cover, and the cashier asked if she was his mother. She just laughed it off. But that lack of interest in the "industry" eventually created a rift. While Dick was out being a superstar, Margie preferred their ranch in the desert.
They had four kids together:
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- Christian
- Barry
- Stacy
- Carrie Beth
They also dealt with some heavy stuff, like Margie miscarrying twins early on. It wasn't all red carpets and laughter.
The struggles and the split
By the 1970s, the cracks were showing. It’s no secret now—Dick has been very open about it in his memoirs—that they both struggled with addiction. Dick was dealing with alcoholism, and interestingly, just as he was checking out of a rehab facility, Margie was checking in for an addiction to antidepressants.
They were drifting.
During this time, Dick started an affair with Michelle Triola, his agent’s secretary. He’s admitted he felt "writhing in guilt" about it. They separated in 1976 but, weirdly enough, didn't actually finalize the divorce until 1984. That’s a long time to stay legally tied to someone when you've both moved on.
Why her legacy still matters
Margie Willett represents a type of person we don't see much in the celeb world anymore. She was someone who had every opportunity to be a "star's wife" and chose to be a person instead. She stayed out of the tabloids. She raised her kids.
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When she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2007, she handled it with the same privacy she had lived her whole life with.
If you're looking for lessons from her life, it’s mostly about the complexity of long-term relationships. You can grow apart, you can even hurt each other, but that history doesn't just vanish. The fact that Dick Van Dyke, decades after their divorce, felt such a profound loss when she died speaks volumes.
What to know if you're researching her
- Death Date: 2008.
- Cause: Pancreatic cancer.
- Family: She remains the matriarch of the Van Dyke clan, with many of her children and grandchildren following in the entertainment footsteps.
For those interested in the deeper history of the Van Dyke family, checking out Dick’s memoir Keep Moving gives a lot of heart-wrenching detail about their final years and his reflections on their marriage. It’s worth a read if you want to see the human side of the man behind the comedy.
Next, you might want to look into the careers of their children, specifically Barry Van Dyke, who worked closely with his father for years, or explore the advocacy work Dick did later in life, which was often influenced by his family experiences.