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97-year-old Dick Van Dyke's stunning reveal as 'The Masked Singer' brought a judge to tears

The legendary showman shared, "It was the weirdest thing I've ever done."

Dick Van Dyke smiling

Gage Skidmore/Creative Commons

Dick Van Dyke in 2017, showing off his signature grin.

Few people manage to achieve the status of both Hollywood legend and human legend, but Dick Van Dyke is definitely one of them.

The 97-year-old actor, dancer, singer and all-around showman blew away the audience and judges of "The Masked Singer" when he was revealed as the voice behind the enigmatic "Gnome" in the show's ninth season opener. Judge Nicole Scherzinger found herself crying at witnessing the reveal.

"I love you so much. We love you so much. The whole world loves you so much," she said through tears. "I'm trying to, like, play it cool, but you look so gorgeous! You look so handsome!"

Indeed, Van Dyke looks remarkably good for being three years shy of 100, and the fact that he's still got the energy to do a wild reality show is a testament to his vitality. He truly is #aginggoals personified.

Van Dyke sang "When You're Smiling" by Frank Sinatra while disguised as a giant woodland gnome on the show. The judges were stumped. Who would guess a 97-year-old would come on "The Masked Singer"?

As he shared with Entertainment Weekly, Van Dyke had a blast filming the show, despite having never seen it before being asked to participate.

"I looked at it on the air and it looked like fun," he told EW. "And I was so positive that nobody would ever guess it was me"

He was tickled that people thought he might be Robert DeNiro and flattered that some thought he could be Tony Bennett.

"But I knew that they couldn't guess who I was," he said. "I don't think they expected anybody from my generation to be on that show. So I knew I was gonna fool them. They were so surprised. I stepped out and everybody's mouths dropped open. I think some people thought I was dead."

He even did a brief "old man" bit, showing he's still got those physical comedy chops.

Watch the reveal:

What a night for everyone involved, especially since very few people knew who was behind the Gnome costume.

"The experience was weird, because they have to keep it a secret from the crew," Van Dyke told EW. "So I walked around with my head covered with people leading me. They've got a nice crew, but I never got to meet any of them!"

"I would say it's the weirdest thing I've ever done," he added. He also said he'd love to go back and "hang out" with the crew he worked with on the show that he didn't get to see. No doubt those crew members would be thrilled with the opportunity to spend time with such an iconic entertainer.

What a gift that we're still getting to see Dick Van Dyke's bright-eyed smile and signature humor. May we all maintain such vibrancy, positivity and zest for life through our senior years.

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