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12/22/2024 11:07:36 pm

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U.S. Radio Deejay Casey Kasem Dead At 82

(Photo : reuters.com)

Casey Kasem, one of the United States' most well-known radio DJs and the voice of Shaggy on the popular Scooby Doo cartoon series, passed away on Father's Day at the age of 82, a rep for Kasem confirmed.

The iconic entertainer suffered from a progressive form of dementia called Lewy body disease which caused him to be hospitalized in critical condition.

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Leading up to his death, Casey was at the center of an ugly family feud involving his daughter Kerri and wife Jean.

The two were embroiled in a legal battle over the 'American Top 40' host's health care and the family's visitation rights. A judge ultimately ruled that Kerri would be responsible for Kasem's medical care and could even terminate life support if she felt it was necessary.

Kerri announced the DJ's passing on her Facebook writing:

"(O)ur dad Casey Kasem passed away surrounded by family and friends. Even though we know he is in a better place and no longer suffering, we are heartbroken....(W)e will miss our dad."

Jean did not immediately release any statement about her husband's death.

Born Kemal Amin Kasem on April 27, 1932, Casey garnered his first broadcasting experience covering sports for his high school's radio club.

In the 1970s, Kasem came up with the idea for a radio show which would count down the top pop hits of the week and thus 'American Top 40' was born.

During his 40-year career working in radio, Kasem innovated the way radio personalities interacted with their audience, and was lauded for his personalized way of presenting music and reading letters from listeners.

At its peak, the entertainer's show was heard on more than 1,000 stations in around 50 countries and had millions of avid listeners.

Kasem's radio show ran from 1970 to 2009 and the Detroit-born Lebanese-American was known for signing off from the show weekly by saying:  

"Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars."

Casey also spent four decades voicing the character of Shaggy on the beloved cartoon Scooby Doo. An entire generation of people who grew up listening to Kasem's voice both on TV and on the radio will perhaps remember most of all Shaggy's comedic remark "Zoinks! C'mon, Scoob!" which featured in nearly every episode.

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