Casey Kasem, Radio Legend and Voice of Shaggy, Dies at 82
Casey Kasem, the radio legend who hosted the weekly 'American Top 40' program in its various incarnations from 1970-2004, has died. He was 82 years old.
The personality, who was born Kemal Amin Kasem in Detroit, also voiced Shaggy, as well as dozens of other characters, on the several 'Scooby-Doo' shows over the years. He played Scooby's best human pal all the way until 2009, for the past few years.
Kasem had been in the news lately after some bizarre struggles among family members brought his illness to the public. He had been suffering from a form of Lewy body dementia, which is similar to Alzheimer's disease.
Over the past few weeks, Kasem's wife and daughter have led a very public battle over the care of the late radio star. One incident involved the throwing of raw meat. Kasem's health worsened over the past couple days, which led his daughter Kerri to pursue end-of-life measures.
Kasem began hosting 'American Top 40,' which he co-founded, in 1970. For years, Kasem filled in generations of music fans on the biggest hits of the day with his weekly countdown radio show. Through the years, it went through several name changes. Up until 2009, he was still hosting a radio program devoted to the charts.
He also was the original voice of Shaggy on 'Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!' in 1969 and continued the role until 1995. He returned a few years later and voiced Shaggy until 2009, when illness made it difficult for him to continue.
Throughout his career, he's voiced dozens of other animated programs, including 'Battle of the Planets.' His familiar voice also showed up in the 'Ghostbusters' movie.