SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Less than a week before Salt Lake City’s comic convention opens its doors, FanX organizers announced that Dick Van Dyke will no longer be attending the three-day event.
Last month, the comic convention’s organizers announced the highly-requested “Bye Bye Birdie” and “Mary Poppins” actor was set to return to FanX this year. However, FanX posted Saturday saying Van Dyke will no longer be attending the convention due to the challenges of old age.
“We are sorry to announce that Dick Van Dyke is not able to travel to FanX. He expresses his gratitude to all of those who continue to support him but, at almost 99 years of age, traveling and interacting with thousands of people is more than he is able to do at this time,” the post read.
The post garnered nearly 100 comments within the first few hours, many of which said it was “totally understandable” and wished him the best.
“Sad! I was really hoping to get a chance to see him since I missed him previously. But I get that it’s a lot for someone of his age. Hopefully he gets feeling better,” one commenter wrote.
While fans will not be able to receive an autograph from Van Dyke this year, there are many other celebrities slated to attend the convention, including Mel Gibson, Elijah Wood, and Jon Heder.
FanX will take place at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City from Sept. 26 to 28.