Casey Kasem Dead at 82

By Douglas V. Gibbs

As a child, I grew up listening to Casey Kasem's "American Top 40."  Kasem was famous around the world, and his iconic voice was easy to recognize.  Kasem passed away this morning, surrounded by family and friends.  He was 82.

Kerri Kasem, his daughter, who had her own radio program as co-host of the Sixx Sense with Motley Crue's Nicki Sixx (she stepped down as co-host last March), issued the statement regarding Casey's death, stating he died on Sunday Morning at 3:23 am.

Kasem's "American Top 40" debuted on July 4, 1970, in Los Angeles.  He stepped down from "American Top 40" in 2004 (Replaced by Ryan Seacrest), and retired from radio in 2009. In his signoff, he would tell viewers: "And don't forget: keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."

Kasem was suffering from advanced Parkinson's disease, as well as Lewy Body Disease, a form of dementia.  After being moved to a friend's home in Washington state from a medical facility in Los Angeles, for reasons stated to protect his privacy and to consult with doctors, Casey Kasem developed a severe bedsore and was in critical condition by the time he was hospitalized in early June.

Rather than deploy the antics and stunts that most morning DJs shocked the airwaves with, Kasem read "long distance dedications" of songs sent in by readers and introduced countdown records with sympathetic background anecdotes about the singers.

"The idea from the beginning was to do the type of thing on radio that Ed Sullivan did on television, good, honest stories with human interest," he told the Los Angeles Times in 1975.

Kasem's voice also graced the television, in TV cartoons such as "Scooby-Doo" (he was Shaggy) and in numerous commercials.

"They are going to be playing Shaggy and Scooby-Doo for eons and eons," Kasem told The New York Times in 2004. "And they're going to forget Casey Kasem - unless they happen to step on his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I'll be one of those guys people say `Who's that?' about. And someone else will say, `He's just some guy who used to be on the radio.'"

-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary

Casey Kasem, King of Top 40 Countdown, Dead - Associated Press