Icon Dick Van Dyke, 97, Just Appeared on "The Masked Singer"

An industry icon just appeared on "The Masked Singer," bringing one of the judges to tears. Dick Van Dyke, the award-winning actor who stole hearts in classic movies like "Mary Poppins," appeared on the season nine premiere of the reality competition series on Feb. 15. Van Dyke, 97, competed as the Gnome and sang pop standard "When You're Smiling" during the appearance.

When the big reveal happened, Nicole Scherzinger was brought to tears as the entire judging panel celebrated the legendary actor's presence.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, published after his surprise reveal, Van Dyke said he had never seen "The Masked Singer" before agreeing to appear. "So I looked at it on the air and it looked like fun," he said. "And I was so positive that nobody would ever guess it was me, that they would have somebody 97 years old on there. And the experience was weird, because they have to keep it a secret from the crew. So I walked around with my head covered with people leading me." The star admitted the show is "the weirdest thing I've ever done."

He also told People that he knew none of the hosts would guess he was the man under the intricate costume. "And I was right!" he teased.

As for Scherzinger's reaction? Well, Van Dyke said that's old hat. "I have had that happen, yes," he told EW. "You know what is fun now? We're on our third generation and I would get little kids who will see me and say, 'It's [his "Mary Poppins" character] Bert!' And I love that, that kids are just discovering those movies now. And it's great to be on a third generation," he told EW.

Find for more photos of Van Dyke on "The Masked Singer" ahead.