Dick Clark, a music industry maverick and creator of the iconic "Rockin' Eve" New Year's Eve program, died today after suffering a massive heart attack, according to numerous news reports quoting Clark's agent Paul Shefrin.
Clark was 82.
Clark is largely credited with forever changing pop music when he hosted the teen-oriented TV show "American Bandstand" from the late 1950s until the show's final season in 1989 and inspired followups including "Soul Train" and "Top of the Pops."
Clark later owned the program through his Dick Clark Productions, which is responsible for such popular long-running TV shows as "TV Bloopers & Practical Jokes," "So You Think You Can Dance," and the awards shows "American Music Awards," the "Academy of Country Music Awards" and the "Golden Globe Awards."
People are also reading…
 Clark suffered a devastating stroke in 2004 that affected his ability to walk and talk. But he continued to perform, appearing at last year's 40th anniversary "Rockin' New Year's Eve" in New York City.
Shefrin said Clark had a heart attack Wednesday morning at Saint John's hospital in Santa Monica, a day after he was admitted for an outpatient procedure, according to media reports.
See tomorrow's Arizona Daily Star for more.
