“Pure Magic”: Unseen Footage Shows 98-Year-Old Dick Van Dyke Singing ‘Mary Poppins’ Classics While 94-Year-Old Richard Sherman Plays Piano

A Farewell in Song: Dick Van Dyke and Richard Sherman Share One Last ‘Mary Poppins’ Moment

It’s the kind of moment that feels like it could only exist in a Disney film—except this time, it’s heartbreakingly real.

In recently surfaced footage, a now-98-year-old Dick Van Dyke is seen singing treasured songs from Mary Poppins alongside Richard M. Sherman, the legendary composer behind the original film’s soundtrack. At 94, Sherman sits behind the piano, his hands moving instinctively across the keys, drawing out melodies that defined generations.

The two icons—both in the final chapters of remarkable lives—struggle through lyrics of “A Spoonful of Sugar” and “Chim Chim Cher-ee,” but it hardly matters. The room is filled with laughter, memory, and music. Behind them, a wax figure of Van Dyke as the chimney sweep Bert looks on, capturing the essence of a time long past yet vividly remembered.

There were no production crews or press releases. Just two old friends, revisiting the songs that stitched their names into cinematic history. That this moment came just months before Sherman’s passing makes it all the more powerful—likely their final duet, captured in the quiet dignity of shared legacy.

Van Dyke’s voice may carry the weight of age, but it still glows with the energy that made him a household name. Sherman’s fingers glide effortlessly, as if sixty years haven’t passed since these tunes first played on studio speakers.

Together, Richard and his late brother Robert Sherman were responsible for some of film’s most beloved songs, from The Jungle Book to Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But it was Mary Poppins that etched their legacy in stone, earning them two Academy Awards and a permanent place in Disney’s musical canon.

This newly revealed clip isn’t just a nostalgic performance—it’s a quiet celebration of enduring friendship, artistic magic, and the way a single song can carry decades of meaning.

In a small, unassuming room, two legends came together one last time to remind us: even as the years slip by, a little melody—and a little love—can still make everything feel light again.