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Offline Flex

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Casey Kasem, radio pioneer, dies at 82
« on: June 15, 2014, 09:38:43 AM »
Casey Kasem, radio pioneer, dies at 82
CBS News


Casey Kasem, the radio personality who rose to fame with the music countdown shows "American Top 40" and "Casey's Top 40," has died, family spokesman Danny Deraney confirmed to CBS News. He was 82.

Shortly before his death a judge ruled that his daughter Kerri Kasem could begin end-of-life measures, giving her the authority to withhold medication, food and fluids from her ailing father, who suffered from a form of Lewy body dementia.

Born Kemal Amin Kasem on April 27, 1932, Kasem was the son of a Lebanese grocer father and a Lebanese-American mother. He got his start in the entertainment field early, joining the radio club while attending Northwestern High School in Detroit. A graduate of Wayne State University, Kasem continued to pursue radio during the Korean War on the Armed Forces Radio Korea Network before returning to the U.S. to work at various radio stations in San Francisco and Cleveland, among others cities. It was during that time that Kasem started making a name for himself, developing a listener favorite "teaser and bio" feature, which he used to segue into the next track on the station's playlist.

Kasem's popularity continued to grow, and on July 4, 1970, Kasem launched the syndicated "American Top 40" show, counting down the most popular singles in the country - all the way to the No. 1 song.

During the program, Kasem, known for the phrase "details coming up," would rattle off chart, song and artist trivia and stories. He would also feature a "Long Distance Dedication" from listeners on the radio show, which helped reinvigorate the Top 40 format. The show became such a hit that in the early '80s, it even had a television spinoff.

"American Top 40" stayed on the airwaves with Kasem at the helm until 1988; a salary dispute found him replaced by host Shadoe Stevens. But Kasem wasn't out of work for long. Less than a year later, he signed with Westwood One Radio Network to launch the rival "Casey's Top 40." And in 1998, he ended up resurrecting his "American Top 40" show.

In early 2004, he retired from "American Top 40," passing the torch current host Ryan Seacrest. Kasem, though, continued to host the syndicated spinoffs "American Top 20" and "American Top 10" until his retirement in July 2009. During his final broadcast, he counted down one last time, telling listeners, "I'd like to share with you something I've learned over the years: Success doesn't happen in a vacuum. You're only as good as the people you work with, and the people you work for. I've been lucky; I've worked for and with the very best."

Throughout his career, Kasem also worked in television, lending his voice to countless cartoons. He did the character of Robin in "The Batman/Superman Hour" from 1968-1969 and served as the voice of Scooby-Doo's sidekick, Shaggy, on and off since 1969. He played characters in animated TV series "The Transformers," "Josie and Pussycats," and others -- and voiced countless TV commercials, too. He served as the promo announcer for NBC-TV from 1977 to 1981.

Kasem got a taste of the big screen, too, appearing in the 1972 Bruce Dern film, "The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant" and playing himself in the hit movie "Ghostbusters."

The Hollywood Walk of Fame gave Kasem a star in 1981, and in 1992, he became the youngest inductee into the Radio Hall of Fame. Billboard magazine gave Kasem its first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.

Kasem began to succumb to health problems in recent years. In October 2013, Kasem announced that he had advanced Parkinson's disease.

Kasem was married twice - first to singer/actress Linda Myers from 1969 - 1980. They had three children together. Since 1980, he's been married to Jean Myers, who played Loretta on ''Cheers." The couple share one child.

Near the end of his life, Kasem's family members made headlines over an ongoing family dispute where Kasem's children from his first marriage were at odds with his second wife, Jean, over access and care. Jean Kasem has been in control of his medical care and has controlled access to him, preventing three of his children from seeing him in recent months, according to court filings. The radio announcer's daughter Kerri Kasem said in court that her father was suffering from bedsores along with lung and bladder infections. At one point there was also confusion about the entertainer's whereabouts.

And during the last months of his life, he lost that voice we all knew so well. According to family, he could no longer speak.

But anyone who listened to radio in the 1970s and '80s can likely easily recall that unmistakable voice that brought America the hits week after week.

In 1990, Kasem spoke to the New York Times about his radio delivery: "It's a natural quality of huskiness in the midrange of my voice that I call 'garbage.' It's not a clear-toned announcer's voice. It's more like the voice of the guy next door.''

In the words of Kasem -- his signature sign-off: "Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars."

© 2014 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline vb

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Re: Casey Kasem, radio pioneer, dies at 82
« Reply #1 on: June 19, 2014, 04:37:49 AM »
RIP CK,

I taped enough songs off your Top 40 show back in the day.

VB
VITAMIN V...KEEPS THE LADIES HEALTHY...:-)

Offline capodetutticapi

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Re: Casey Kasem, radio pioneer, dies at 82
« Reply #2 on: June 26, 2014, 02:04:10 PM »
Never miss American top 10 on ah Saturday morning.
soon ah go b ah lean mean bulling machine.

Offline Flex

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Re: Casey Kasem, radio pioneer, dies at 82
« Reply #3 on: July 19, 2014, 06:54:32 AM »
Radio star Casey Kasem's remains moved from funeral home against children's wishes
By Alex Dobuzinskis


LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The remains of radio personality Casey Kasem have been moved from a Washington state funeral home, against the wishes of three of his adult children, a spokesman for the siblings said on Friday.

Kasem, the former host of the syndicated program "American Top 40" who died on June 15 at age 82, had been the focus of a dispute between his three children from his first marriage and his second wife, Jean Kasem.

They said she had prevented them from visiting him as he suffered from Lewy body dementia, a malady with symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease.

As his health deteriorated, a Los Angeles judge sided with the children and permitted them to withhold food, hydration and his usual medication as they chose comfort-oriented, end-of-life care at a Washington state hospital.

Since then, Kasem's children Kerri, Julie and Mike have learned his body was removed from Gaffney Funeral Home in Tacoma, Washington, against their wishes, said Danny Deraney, a spokesman for the siblings. Casey Kasem had wanted to be buried at Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, California, Deraney said.

The three children believe Jean Kasem, who had legal rights over the body, arranged to have it moved but they do not know where it is, Deraney said.

"They're so used to this behavior from her over time, it's almost like they saw this coming,” Deraney said.

A Washington state judge on Wednesday forbade movement of the body from the funeral home, according to the New York Daily News. The order was based on a request by Kerri Kasem to have an autopsy conducted on Kasem to investigate suspicions of elder abuse, Deraney said.

An attorney for Jean Kasem, who married Casey Kasem in 1980, did not return a call or email.

Candace Corkum, administrative manager for Gaffney Funeral Home, confirmed Kasem's body was no longer at the facility. Final disposition of the remains happened before the Washington state judge's order on Wednesday, Corkum said, but she declined to say what happened to the body.

Kerri Kasem, a radio host, told the New York Daily News she believed Jean Kasem took her father's body out of the country.

Casey Kasem at the peak of his career on "American Top 40" was heard on more than 1,000 stations in 50 countries. He was famed for his tenor voice, and also played the part of Shaggy, the mystery-solving human pal of a Great Dane in the TV cartoon series "Scooby Doo, Where Are You!"



(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Eric Walsh and Robert Birsel)
The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline Flex

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Re: Casey Kasem, radio pioneer, dies at 82
« Reply #4 on: July 19, 2014, 06:56:33 AM »
Daughter seeks right for autopsy of Casey Kasem
Associated Press By PHUONG LE.


SEATTLE (AP) — A judge in Washington state has granted Casey Kasem's daughter a temporary restraining order preventing the famous radio host's wife from cremating his remains or removing them from a funeral home.

Kasem, the radio host of "American Top 40" and voice of animated television characters like Scooby-Doo's sidekick Shaggy, died June 15 at a hospital in Gig Harbor. Court records show his body remains at a funeral home in Tacoma, south of Seattle, more than a month later.

Kasem suffered from a form of dementia, and his three adult children from his first wife fought a bitter legal battle with Kasem's second wife, Jean, over control of his health care in his final months.

Daughter Kerri Kasem on Wednesday asked a Pierce County Superior Court judge for authorization to seek an autopsy on her father as well as a temporary restraining order to ensure his body is held in cold storage and not cremated until that autopsy is completed.

Judge Ronald Culpepper ordered Kasem's second wife of 34 years, Jean, to ensure that the radio host's remains are preserved and that his body stays at the funeral home until the court decides on the autopsy petition.

A call to Jean Kasem's attorney Friday morning was not immediately returned.

Kerri Kasem said she is worried that her stepmother may prevent the autopsy by having his remains moved to Canada or cremated, according to the statement she filed in court.

She said she learned from the director of the funeral home that Jean Kasem planned to have an autopsy done and that worried her because she wondered why it was needed.

"I'm concerned about the results of any autopsy Jean Kasem may have commissioned and how they might be used," Kerri Kasem wrote. "Consequently, I thought it would be best to ask the Washington Court to allow me to have an autopsy conducted by a forensic pathologist of my own selection."

A hearing has been scheduled for July 25 on the autopsy petition.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

Offline asylumseeker

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Re: Casey Kasem, radio pioneer, dies at 82
« Reply #5 on: August 05, 2014, 07:03:53 AM »
An absolute legend. RIP!

Offline Flex

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Re: Casey Kasem, radio pioneer, dies at 82
« Reply #6 on: December 23, 2014, 05:28:22 AM »
Radio Icon Casey Kasem Buried 6 Months After Death
By MICHAEL ROTHMAN, and JASON NATHANSON
Good Morning America


Almost six months after his death, radio icon Casey Kasem has been laid to rest.

A rep for the legend's daughter Kerri Kasem confirmed to ABC News that he was buried by his wife Jean in Norway last week without consulting his children.

“Jean buried him without telling the kids," Kerri Kasem's rep Danny Deraney told ABC. "She does not have to tell them since she is the conservator over his remains.”

Kasem, who was married twice and has four children, died at the age of 82 on June 15. He wed Jean, 60, in 1980.

In recent years, the radio personality's health declined and in 2013, his daughter Kerri said he was suffering from a form of dementia.

Kerri and the other children were not happy their father was buried outside of Glendale, California, where Kerri had said in late June on "The View" was were he requested his remains be.

“Clearly the family is not happy, but they are also at peace knowing that they got to spend his final moments with him," the rep added.

Jean Kasem has not responded to request for comment to ABC, but in the weeks leading up to Casey's death, she and his children, including Kerri, had been embroiled in a legal battle over his health care.

Finally, in early June, a judge ruled that Kerri would take over care for Casey, "who clearly expressed his desire to die very peacefully and comfortably in this matter," said Kerri's attorney Troy Martin on June 11. He died days later.

The real measure of a man's character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.

 

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