'American Idol's' Ryan Seacrest on Dick Clark: 'He Taught Me How To Do Television' (Video)

American Idol host Ryan Seacrest opened up the live show on Wednesday, April 18 with a heartfelt acknowledgment of his personal idol, Dick Clark, who died of a masssive heart attack at the age of 82. Minutes after the credits rolled on Wednesday's show, he expressed his thoughts to press gathered at Idol, giving Clark much of the credit for setting Seacrest on his own career path.

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“It’s a tremendously emotional day for so many people," said Seacrest. "Fans of music, fans of television, broadcasters and certainly me personally as Dick Clark was one of those incredible pioneers of our business. He taught me how to do television, I studied him as a kid and I had the fortunate opportunity to work with him for several years on New Years Eve.”

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Season 11 finalist Skylar Laine mentioned that Seacrest was noticeably “a little down” on Wednesday, along with much of the broadcast world.

Watch video of Seacrest's post-show statement above.

Twitter: @Idol_Worship