From TMZ.com:
Casey Kasem -- the
original voice of the American Top 40 countdown -- died Sunday morning ... TMZ
has confirmed.
His daughter Kerri
said on Facebook this morning ... her dad was surrounded by family and friends.
adding, "Even though we know he is in a better place and no longer
suffering, we are heartbroken."
Casey was suffering
from advanced Parkinson's Disease and dementia. His wife Jean Kasem moved him
to a convalescent home in Santa Monica a few months ago.
Kasem founded the
"AT 40" radio franchise back in 1970 ... and famously hosted the
wildly popular show until 2004. He went on to do several spinoff countdown
shows until he retired from radio in 2009.
He was also very
famous for voicing cartoon voices like Shaggy from "Scooby-Doo" ...
and Robin on "Super Friends." He was inducted into the National
Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 1985.
From CBSlocal.com:
Kasem’s “American Top 40″ began on July 4, 1970, in Los Angeles,
when the No. 1 song was Three Dog Night’s cover of Randy Newman’s “Mama Told Me
Not to Come.” The show expanded to hundreds of stations, including Armed Forces
Radio, and continued in varying forms — and for varying syndicators — into the
21st century. He stepped down from “American Top 40″ in 2004 and retired
altogether in 2009, completing his musical journey with Shinedown’s “Second
Chance.”
In
his signoff, he would tell viewers: “And don’t forget: keep your feet on the
ground and keep reaching for the stars.”
Casey brought top-of-the-pop music to generations with his warm voice
and gentle wit. As the voice of Shaggy
on Scooby Doo, he was in dozens of movies.
RIP Casey. Thanks for the music
and the memories. Keep looking up.
I am listening to rock/pop classics from back in the day and am
grateful for the explosion in musical exposure led by Casey propagated by AM
& FM radio, LPs, cassette tapes, CDs and the web. I will listen to more
music in the future.
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