R.I.P. Casey Kasem. Radio legend CASEY KASEM passed away early yesterday morning at the age of 82. Hed been hospitalized in Washington state for the past two weeks, and had been in failing health for about a year. According to his family, Casey died from sepsis, brought on by an ulcerated bedsore. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition, where inflammation is triggered throughout the body, which can cause organs to fail. Casey had Lewy body dementia . . . a degenerative disease similar to Parkinsons, and the second-most common type of progressive dementia, after Alzheimers. Sadly, as Caseys condition worsened over the past month, his family has been engaging in a wild, bitter fight over his care. Last week, a judge ruled that Caseys daughter Kerri had the authority to have him taken off life support. Interestingly, Casey ended up dying on Fathers Day. Kerri posted a Facebook tribute saying, quote, Even though we know he is in a better place and no longer suffering, we are heartbroken. For what its worth, Kerri says there will be no family feud over his body. Caseys will makes his wife, Jean, the executor of his estate, and the power to arrange for a funeral and burial. Kerri claims shell abide by those terms. Casey was a popular DJ in L.A. before becoming the host of the syndicated show, American Top 40 in 1970. He hosted various versions of it until 2004, when he handed it off to RYAN SEACREST. Initially, he continued, hosting two spin-off shows, American Top 20 and American Top 10, until signing off in 2009. His trademark line was, quote, Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars. Early in his career, Casey was in some low-budget movies, including The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant in 1971. He provided the voice for Shaggy on Scooby-Doo, which premiered in 1969 . . . as well as Robin on Super Friends, which debuted in 1973. Ryan Seacrest paid tribute to Casey, saying, quote, Its a sad day for the broadcasting community and for radio listeners around the world . . . When I was a kid, I would listen to [his] show every weekend, and dream about someday becoming a radio DJ. So when decades later I took over his [American Top 40] countdown show, it was a surreal moment.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Jun 2014 11:19:26 +0000
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