NEW : Entertainers recall ` ` American Bandstand '' influence . " When I joined his show in 2006 , it was a dream come true to work with him every New Year 's Eve for the last six years . '' Clark died of a heart attack while at a Santa Monica hospital , his family says . He suffered a stroke in December 2005 , reducing his on - camera work . Clark started ` ` American Bandstand '' as a local TV show in Philadelphia in 1956 .
NEW : Entertainers recall ` ` American Bandstand '' influence . " Clark died of a heart attack while at a Santa Monica hospital , his family says . He suffered a stroke in December 2005 , reducing his on - camera work . Clark started ` ` American Bandstand '' as a local TV show in Philadelphia in 1956 .