In Memory of Radio Personality Kasey Casem ('American Top 40'): 10 Years After His Tragic Death

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It's been ten years since iconic radio DJ Casey Kasem died at 82 after a battle with Lewy Body dementia.

With his weekly America's Top 40 syndicated radio show, Kasem was key in praising and celebrating pop-music, specifically during the 1970s and '80s on Sundays. That's when millions gathered in anticipation to hear which song would be #1 in the nation.

At the height of it's popularity, American Top 40 aired on over 900 stations.

A Closer Look

Born Kemal Amin Kasem in Detroit, Michigan, Casey Kasem was the Lebanese son of parents who owned a grocery store. His parents divorced when he was young, and his father died in 1955 after a car accident on the way to see young Casey perform in a school play.

After graduating from high school, Kasem was hired as a production assistant at a Detroit radio station and held several radio positions while enrolled at Wayne State University.

His first professional gig was for the Armed Forces Radio Network; he was the morning man on Radio Station Kilroy in Taegu, Korea, entertaining American troops during the Korean War.

After the Army, Kase spent ten years training to be a DJ in Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo, until relocating to Oakland, California.

In 1963, he traveled to Los Angeles, where he became co-host on KTLA’s after-school dance show Shebang with Dick Clark.

Seven years later, American Top 40 was born. In 1989, Kasem left the show over contract issues and then returned in 1998.

Between Gigs, His Humanitarianism Shined

In the between years, Casey Kasem and his second wife and Cheers actress Jean Kasem became political and social activists for animal rights, environmental preservation, homelessness and world peace.

Kasem also advocated against Hollywood for its negative portrayal of Arabs movies and on TV.

Casey Kasem, Where Are You?

Beyond American Top 40, Casey Kasem was a talented voiceover artist. His most popular vocal talents were heard as Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo animated TV show franchise, beginning with Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? in 1969. He spoke Shaggy for four decades, while he also voiced characters on other animates series, including Batman (he voiced Robin), and hundreds of TV commercials.

In 1992, Kasem was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. He led American Top 40 until Ryan Seacrest took over in 2004, but continued to lend his voice to sequel shows like American Top 20 and American Top 10 until his retirement in 2009.

Behind the Scenes

Casey Kasem was married to Jean Kasem for 33 years, and they had a 24-year-old daughter, Liberty Irene. From 1972 to 1979, he was married to Linda Myers, the mother of his other three children Kerri, 41, Mike, 40, and Julie, 38.

His Final Last Words

Every week on American Top 40, Casey Kasem would close the show with his signature line, "Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.”

"Sound" advice, indeed.