This article will answer every question you have about Casey Kasem. Below are some of the frequently asked questions about him.
- What does Casey Kasem do for a living?
- Who are Casey Kasem’s parents and siblings?
- What are Casey Kasem’s interests and hobbies?
- Is Casey Kasem married or does he have a girlfriend?
- Does Casey Kasem have any children?
- Where is Casey Kasem now?
- How tall is Casey Kasem?
- How much money does Casey Kasem earn?
- What is Casey Kasem’s net worth?
N/B: Please read the entire post to have all your questions answered.
Who is Casey Kasem?
Casey Kasem was an American voice actor, disc jockey, music historian, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably American Top 40. He was the first actor to voice Norville “Shaggy” Rogers in the Scooby-Doo franchise (1969 to 1997 and 2002 to 2009).
Kasem co-founded the American Top 40 franchise in 1970, hosting it from its inception to 1988, and again from 1998 to 2004. Between January 1989 and early 1998, he was the host of Casey’s Top 40, Casey’s Hot 20, and Casey’s Countdown. From 1998 to 2009, Kasem also hosted two adult contemporary spinoffs of American Top 40: American Top 20 and American Top 10.
He helped found the American Video Awards in 1983 and continued to co-produce and host it until its final show in 1987. Kasem also provided many commercial voiceovers, performed many voices for children’s television (such as Sesame Street and the Transformers cartoon series), was “the voice of NBC” and helped with the annual Jerry Lewis telethon.
Casey Kasem’s Career
Early career
After the war, Kasem began his professional broadcasting career in Flint, Michigan, later working in Detroit as a disc jockey for WJBK-AM (and doing such shows as The Lone Ranger and Sergeant Preston of the Yukon), WBNY in Buffalo, New York, and a station in Cleveland before moving to California. At KYA in San Francisco, the general manager suggested he tone down his delivery and talk about the records instead. At KEWB in Oakland, California, Kasem was both the music director and an on-air personality. He said he was inspired by a Who’s Who in Pop Music, 1962 magazine he found in the trash.
He created a show that mixed biographical tidbits about the artists he played and attracted the attention of Bill Gavin, who tried to recruit him as a partner. After Kasem joined KRLA in Los Angeles in 1963, his career began to blossom and he championed the R&B music of East L.A. Kasem acted in a number of low-budget movies and radio dramas. While hosting “dance hops” on local television, he attracted the attention of Dick Clark, who hired him as co-host of a daily teenage music show called Shebang, starting in 1964.
Network TV Roles
Kasem’s roles on network TV series included Hawaii Five-O and Ironside. In 1967, he appeared on The Dating Game and played the role of “Mouth” in the motorcycle gang film The Glory Stompers. In 1969, he played the role of Knife in the film Wild Wheels and had a small role in another biker movie, The Cycle Savages, starring Bruce Dern and Melody Patterson, and The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant.
Kasem’s voice was the key to his career. In 1964 during the Beatlemania craze, Kasem had a minor hit single called “Letter from Elaina”, a spoken-word recording that told the story of a girl who met George Harrison after a San Francisco Beatles concert. At the end of the 1960s, he began working as a voice actor. In 1969, he started one of his most famous roles, the voice of Shaggy on Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!. He also voiced the drummer Groove from The Chattanooga Cats that year.
1970–1988: Acting/voiceover work and American Top 40
On July 4, 1970, Kasem, along with Don Boustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs, launched the weekly radio program American Top 40 (AT40). At the time, top 40 radio was on the decline as DJs preferred to play album-oriented progressive rock. Loosely based on the TV program Your Hit Parade, the show counted down from #40 to #1 based on the Billboard Hot 100 weekly chart. Kasem mixed in biographical information and trivia about the artists, as well as flashbacks and “Long-Distance Dedication” segments in which he read letters from listeners wishing to dedicate songs to distant loved ones.
Frequently, he mentioned a trivia fact about an unnamed singer before a commercial break, then provided the name of the singer after returning from the break. Kasem ended the program with his signature sign-off, “Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.” The show debuted on seven stations but soon went nationwide. In October 1978, the show expanded from three hours to four. American Top 40‘s success spawned several imitators, including a weekly half-hour music video television show, America’s Top 10, hosted by Kasem himself.
On Air
“When we first went on the air, I thought we would be around for at least 20 years,” he later remarked. “I knew the formula worked. I knew people tuned in to find out what the number 1 record was.” Because of his great knowledge of music, Kasem became known as not just a disc jockey, but also a music historian. In 1971, Kasem provided the character voice of Peter Cottontail in the Rankin/Bass production of Here Comes Peter Cottontail. In the same year, he appeared in The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant, in what is probably his best-remembered acting role. From 1973 to 1985, Kasem voiced Robin for several Super Friends franchise shows.
In 1980, he voiced Merry in The Return of the King. He also voiced Alexander Cabot III on Josie and the Pussycats and Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space and supplied a number of voices for Sesame Street. In the late 1970s, Kasem portrayed an actor who imitated Columbo in the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries two-part episode “The Mystery of the Hollywood Phantom.” He portrayed a golf commentator in an episode of Charlie’s Angels titled “Winning is for Losers”, and appeared on Police Story, Quincy, M.E. and Switch. In 1977, Kasem was hired as the narrator for the ABC sitcom Soap but quit after the pilot episode because of the show’s controversial content. Rod Roddy took his place in the program.
Ghostbusters
In 1984, Kasem made a cameo in Ghostbusters, reprising his role as the host of American Top 40. For a period in the late 1970s, he was the staff announcer for the NBC television network. In 1983 Kasem helped found the American Video Awards, an annual music video award show taped for distribution to television, which he also hosted and co-produced. His goal was to make it the “Oscars” of music videos. There were only five award shows. The final show aired in 1987.
How Old was Casey Kasem at Death?
Kasem was born on April 27, 1932, in Detriot, Michigan, and died on June 15, 2014, in Gig Harbour, Washington. He passed away at the age of 82 years.
Casey Kasem’s Death
On June 15, 2014, Kasem died at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Gig Harbor, Washington at the age of 82. The immediate cause of death was reported as sepsis caused by ulcerated bedsores. His body was handed over to his widow. Reportedly, Kasem wanted to be buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale.
Casey Kasem‘s Family
Who are Casey Kasem’s parents?
Kasem’s parents are Lebanese Druze immigrants, Helen and Amin Kasem, who were grocers.
Does Casey Kasem have siblings?
Kasem has a brother named Mouner Kasem.
Casey Kasem‘s Education
Kasem attended Northwestern High School in Detroit. He then attended Wayne State University
Casey Kasem‘s Wife and Kids
Kasem was married to Linda Myers from 1972 to 1979.
They had three children: Mike, Julie, and Kerri Kasem. Kasem was married to actress Jean Thompson from 1980 until his death. They had one child, Liberty Jean Kasem.
Casey Kasem’s Net Worth
Kasem has an estimated net worth of $50 million.
Height/Measurements
Kasem stands at 5 ft 9 in tall.
