Keep Reaching for the Stars: The Casey Kasem Story (Episode 179)

He was the voice of a generation — and then another after that. From Detroit to Hollywood, from Shaggy in Scooby-Doo to the warm sign-off of American Top 40, Casey Kasem shaped how America listened to music. But behind the smooth delivery were battles with perfectionism, family turmoil, and a tragic decline that ended in lawsuits and headlines as surreal as any radio outtake. In this episode, we trace the full life, career, death, and fallout of Casey Kasem — the man who told us to keep our feet on the ground and keep reaching for the stars.

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hi, I'm Smokey Bear, and I made an assistant to help you out
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I understand the stakes are high.
Ha ha, ha, ha. [e-mail].
Brought to you by the US Forest Service, your State Forester and
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(01:03):
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life and crimes on Ward C. Listen to Mind of a Monster, The
Killer Nurse wherever you get your podcasts.
Chicago, March 2nd, 1976. A savage double murder rocks the
city. Two young lives snuffed out in

(01:25):
their prime and the killer, a privileged rich kid caught
within four days only to walk free through a web of influence
and power. For four years the case gathered
dust, the truth buried under theweb of money, drugs and
corruption. Until an unlikely hero emerged,
former rock musician turned starprosecutor who refused to let

(01:46):
the justice slip away. Together with his determined
partner, they dared to resurrectthe case that Chicago forgot.
Now, for the first time, step inside the investigation that
brought a killer to trial. Convergence, the explosive new
true crime book by Jonathan Dixon and Greg Owen from 26th
St. Books.
Convergence takes you deep inside one of Chicago's most

(02:08):
shocking cases. Follow the evidence.
Witness the trial, see justice unfold.
Convergence available now on Amazon and wherever books are
sold. Live from Los Angeles. 911 What

(02:31):
is your emergency? You're in Hollywood now. 2
counts of murder, injury and death.
Oh my. God.
Shocking new. Details.
That has stoned the entertainment world.
This makes me a little nervous The.
Hair stood up on my arms. Just like in the movies.
What do you call this thing anyway?
Death. Entertainment.

(02:53):
Greetings Dead O Universe, how the heck are you?
My name is Kyle Plouffe. And I'm Jerry Aquino.
And I am Ben Kissel. Today, we are honored to bring
you the story of radio legend Casey Kasem.
This is a Dipod first. This is This is the first time
we've ever done a strictly radioguy.
Well, I think, I mean, he's still a celebrity.

(03:13):
Yeah, beyond. Oh yeah, he's an icon.
He's an icon. Yes, so a podcast covering a
radio guy. What's next?
Uh huh, what's next? Huh?
It's. Like a radio inception.
Wow, so we are taking our feet off the ground and shooting
straight into the space to the stars.
Let's go. He was the man with the golden

(04:01):
voice. Every Sunday, millions of
Americans tuned in to hear him countdown the hits.
His words introduce us to the stars.
Not to be confused with a man with a golden throat.
No, Holy hell, that's a whole nother story.
Yeah. Very much.
He reminded us of stories behindthe songs and signed off with
the phrase etched into pop culture.
Keep your feet on the ground andkeep reaching for the stars.

(04:24):
Oh, it would be nice if he told us to jump a little bit, give us
some kind of assistance. Jump off that bridge.
Was he trying to keep us down this case?
Keep us down. No, no, he was merely providing
a trampoline with his words. Oh, I like that.
Nice. But behind that comforting voice
was a man whose final years wereanything but comforting.
A bitter family feud, accusations of neglect and even

(04:47):
a bizarre disappearance turned Casey Kasem's last day into a
public spectacle. Before all of that, though,
there was simply a boy. His name was Kamal Amen Kaesem,
which is actually, it's for my Arab brothers and sisters.
Anyone I know that has that lastname?
It's Kasem. Kasem.
Yeah, so it seems like, and I feel awful about this, but I

(05:10):
don't know if he felt or he actually had to kind of like
widify his name to be able to breakthrough.
Interesting. Like just make it a little more
digestible if you pronounce. I mean, it's also, it's the
entertainment business. Casey Kasem.
Rolls off the tongue. It really does.
Casey Kasem could have rolled off the tongue.
Now I'm getting a little bit confused on who I'm trying to
listen to and if he's trying to give Al Qaeda secret hit songs

(05:32):
in order for them to plan their next attack on live soldiers in
Iraq. OK, well, I just didn't know his
name wasn't Casey. Yeah, OK.
But his first, his, his voice isso soothing that he actually
probably could get me to go fight for ISIS.
My name's Casey Kasem, and we'recounting down the Top 40 reasons
why the infidels are going to die.
It's like. Really, I think I want to catch

(05:54):
this. Sounds good.
Casey Kasem. He was born on April 27th, 1932
in Detroit, MI, the son of Lebanese immigrants.
His parents, Amin and and Helen Kasem Kasem, ran a small grocery
store and the family's neighborhood was tough growing
up during the Great Depression. Casey learned the value of hard

(06:16):
work early. I would imagine he saw a lot of
interesting interactions with the clientele rolling through.
Yeah, as a kid, he was quiet butfascinated by storytelling.
Radio was his escape of choice. He would sit for hours listening
to the voices that broke throughthe static.
Programs like The Lone Ranger and The Green Hornet fired his
imagination. This is when you could cast all

(06:38):
the characters in your own head,yeah.
Exactly. OK, fun.
And the TV show came out and you're like that.
God, you what she looks like? Yeah, that's.
Not what she looks like in my head.
Exactly. I mean, this is his his point
that he made her. Later in life, he would say
these broadcasts inspired him tothink about how a voice alone
could create entire worlds. You know, it really is true not

(07:00):
to be like, woo Hoo, but as a larger man, 6 foot 7.
And I always wanted to be an actor.
And then I would go and try and I'd be like, I'm really too big
to be an actor, right? And then I tried to do improv
and I was like, I'm a tree all the time, you know?
Yeah. And then I found radio and I was
like, wow, people can just hear your voice, get to know who you
are before they see your mammothsize or tiny size or whatever

(07:20):
size you are. That's so true.
It is an interesting point too, because even back in the day
when they went from the silent films, the talkies, there were a
lot of people who lost their careers because audience was
were just like, you don't sound like how you look.
Oh yeah, definitely. Weren't working anymore because.
Yeah, just the cognitive dissonance of seeing your voice
with your face. I it's not working for me man.
It happens on dating apps too where you're like oh OK this

(07:42):
person looks great and then their voice is different.
You're like what the fuck? Yeah, it doesn't sound like
you'd think it's gonna sound right.
That's why I love that some dating apps like let you leave a
voice. Like no, you talk to me first.
Yeah, no, seriously. Yeah, you can do the voice memo
now. Yeah, interesting.
So at Northwestern High School in Detroit, Casey discovered
acting. He began performing in school
plays and quickly realized he had a knack for using his voice

(08:03):
to command attention. That talent led him to Wayne
State University, where he studied speech and broadcasting
during his college years. The fucking Korean War was
raging. The Forgotten War, The one my
other grandfather fought in on the side of the Americans.
I see. In Casey, he's in college, he's

(08:24):
on the radio, he's studying acting.
And they're like, hey, by the way, time to go to Korea.
No. Shit, so he got shipped out.
Oh. Shit guys, I'm so.
Glad I don't live in a time where I can just get shipped
out. I'm not trying to do all that.
Yeah, and no, even if we do livein a time, me and Ben are too
old, so we're fucking good. Yeah, that's true.
It's oh, that's right. I'm like a GILF.
It's the only time you feel likethe attention of a woman is

(08:46):
when, like, you're a young kid walking through the mall and you
see all the recruiters looking at you.
Yeah. And then all of a sudden you hit
like 2526, maybe 30, and then you don't don't get the
attention you want anymore. Oh, you like notice the drop
off? Yeah, big time.
I'm like I hit the wall. Like you're you used to meeting
eyes with them and you're like already like sorry I can't
enlist. I know I'm coming up with

(09:06):
excuses to turn them down. And they're like, no, no, the
kid behind you, could you move some?
Do you need help? Do you need assistance?
So even in the US Army, his voice became his greatest asset.
And this was like Fred Willard, right?
He was assigned to the Armed Forces Radio Network.
Thank God. So these guys, they walk in,
they hear him talking. They're like, oh, yeah, you're

(09:26):
just going behind the mic. We're.
Not putting him on the front lines.
We're going full good morning Vietnam here.
Wow, wait, he did a radio station?
Yeah, the Armed Forces Radio Network.
So like on the loudspeaker in the camps and stuff like that
here, the guy talking. That is so cool.
Yeah. That would be amazing.
Yeah, so he was able to broadcast music and messages to

(09:47):
the American troops station and abroad.
So it happened in the bases and to wherever they were stationed
across the world. You ever see that movie Wet
Hunt? American Summer?
Yes. With.
A kid who pretends to be a DJ but no equipments play.
Oh yeah, he doesn't shower and all.
I love it. It's amazing.
Maybe I could do the radio. I'm so fucking big.
Do they want a six foot 7 soldier?

(10:08):
I don't know, super soldier. Give me the radio job, please.
The radio job. This was his first taste of
connecting with a wide audience,and he never forgot it.
That's amazing, and the most important audience as well.
Truly, people who needed a reprieve from the horrors of
war. Yeah, so the Korean War
finishes. Kasem returns home in the mid

(10:28):
1950s, and he dove head first into broadcasting.
His first jobs were small, announcing local sports, reading
commercials and filling in as a DJ at stations around Detroit.
Nice Detroit, of course, a very prominent city when it comes to
music. Detroit rock city baby.
Yes, at this time Detroit was beginning to become a boom town.
Yeah, in 1952, he landed his first big break at WJBK, and

(10:52):
that's in Detroit, cut hosting ashow called Night Beat.
WJBK the night beat very very Radio Y.
Very radio Yi love that name. The night.
Beat. Oh, very cool.
It sounds almost like spooky, but it probably isn't.
Yeah, it sounds kind of spooky, like we're working the night
beat tonight. Yeah.
What does that mean? We're gonna masturbate together

(11:12):
in the dark and pretend we're not gay.
WJBK who jerked Ben Kissel? Oh.
No. Doing the night.
Beat who did it, Who did? It that is fantastic.
That's the mystery they need to sew.
Good work. Did Dog Jerry let him in?
That little bastard. At this time, he was coming up

(11:33):
with his exact you know what? He was known for his blend of
storytelling and music, and it quickly, quickly caught fire.
Casey wasn't just spinning records, he was weaving
narratives. By the late 50s, Casey moved to
California, chasing bigger opportunities.
He worked at stations in San Francisco and Oakland before
finding his home in Los Angeles.I would assume those are much

(11:55):
larger markets than Detroit. The West Coast scene was
exploding with Rock'n'roll and KSome smooth delivery was a
perfect match for the new sound of the airwaves.
In 1963, he began hosting Shebang, a local TV dance show.
It actually people have accused it of ripping off American

(12:15):
Bandstand. It predates American Bandstand.
There you go, American bandstand, Dick.
Clark fucking stole it from him,man.
What's up? You stole shebang bang?
Sounds like an energy drink dude.
Shebang. Isn't that a Ricky Martin song?
She bangs. She bangs, Yeah.
And then what's his name? And I.
Yeah, the. The William Hung.
William Hung like overtook it. Oh.

(12:36):
Baby when she moved. She bangs.
She bangs. Actually, it's funny.
I actually thought of William Hung before Ricky Martin.
He is officially take I. I think he did take it over.
Yeah, that's true. Good for him, I.
Know. And this was introducing him to
television 'cause he always justwant to be a radio guy.
But then he's like, you know, the times are changing, might as
well get in front of the camera.So he did it.

(12:58):
He's got a good face for TV though.
Yeah, it's not like he's just a face for radio.
No, he's got that mole. He's kind of a set.
He's a sex icon in some. Ways.
He's very handsome. He is, but his biggest leap into
pop culture came through voice acting.
In 1969, Hanna Barbera cast him as and I did not know that this
character had a last name. Shaggy Rogers no and Scooby-doo.

(13:21):
Rogers. Roger Dodgers.
Shaggy is a last name. Yeah, I didn't know that either.
And. He he's Shaggy.
He's. Shaggy.
Yeah. You didn't know what?
No, I didn't know that scoop. That's.
Yeah. We're in trouble, Scoop.
Shaggy Rogers sounds too elite for what Shaggy became.
He must have really disappointedhis father.

(13:42):
Oh yeah, no. Shaggy Rogers comes from an
elite family. He's a trust fund white
Rastafarian. He.
Really is. Yeah, asshole.
He hangs is that with a Stoner dog?
He's a Stoner. They solve crimes that were
even, were they even crimes? Yeah, whose van is it?
Oh, that's a good question. Is it Fred's?
Fred's always driving, but I feel like it might be Shaggy's

(14:02):
van. It might be his dad's van.
It might be his dad's van. And he's like, Oh no dude, I'm
not allowed to drive anymore. You fucking hated my work, van.
Wait, every dad you don't even know I'm solving crimes with my
friends is my dog? Dude, you're always talking to
that dog. Stop smoking weed.
The character's nervous laugh and Stoner like persona became

(14:23):
iconic and Kasem's voice was suddenly familiar to millions of
kids. By the end of the 60s, Casey
Kasem was a household name in two worlds, Saturday morning
cartoons and Los Angeles radio. That is so cool, I think I did
at one point know that he was Shaggy but I completely forgot.
It's so weird because when you know it, you can kind of hear
his voice behind it, but then they show him in the booth

(14:44):
actually doing it and it's like,this is fucking crazy.
Oh wow, I kind of want to see a clip of him doing that.
All right, let's do it. How many of you know the show
scooby-doo? Yeah.
There's a character that I play on that show, the sidekick of
scooby-doo for the past 17 or 18years, and his name is Shaggy.

(15:04):
And Shaggy would like to say a few words to the young people
out there. All right, go ahead.
Are you Shaggy? I'm Shaggy.
Go. Ahead.
Yes, Sherry. And he's always talking about
his good buddy Scoob, His old friend, his old pal.
His old buddy. Let's go.
It's crazy. So funny so.
So Jerry Lewis is like, so you're Shaggy.

(15:25):
He's yes, he's. Like, yeah, that's what I've
been trying. That's what I've been saying.
It's for a guy that's such a Dick, it's surprising every year
he would do like a telethon to help people.
I know he's. Such an asshole.
Jerry Lewis. What an icon.
Alright. Scoop.
So yeah, it like rolls off the tongue when I hear him, when I
see him say it, but it didn't. It's so transforming.

(15:47):
It's adorable, yeah. So that everything changed in
1970, along with fellow radio men Tom Rounds and Don Bustini,
Kasem launched a new kind of syndicated program, the American
Top 40. Yes.
Get on that. Yeah, the premise is simple but
groundbreaking. Every week, the show would
countdown the Top 40 songs on the Billboard Hot 100.

(16:10):
It was predictable, but also brilliant.
On July 4th, 1970, the first broadcast aired.
The very first number one hit. That case I've ever announced
was Mama Told Me Not To Come. Oh my God.
Wait, what? What did Mama tell me not to?
Do I had Three Dog Night? No.
Not try, I like 3 dark nights. I just don't like the name.

(16:31):
Yeah, Mama told me not to come. I don't, that makes me very
uncomfortable. Yeah, we're perverted though.
Yeah, we are. Yeah, Daddy told me to come.
Yes. That's the B side.
That's the B side. And then, strangely enough,
Uncle made me come. Oh, yeah.
Yeah. So it's a, it's a, it's a, it's
a whole saga. It's an overarching narrative.

(16:52):
Yeah, it's a narrative. Right, it is one of those.
It's a piece, yeah. It's a concept.
Yeah, it's a. It's a concept.
Album A Come sub album. If you will.
I won't. No, please.
Please, guys. OK, Mama, I won't come.
But what set the show apart was not the countdown.
It was Kasem himself. He added trivia, backstories and

(17:12):
the now famous long distance dedications.
Oh yeah, that's where he would read heartfelt letters from
listeners requesting songs for loved ones.
Oh so sweet I loved everyone used to do that.
As if everyone was tuned into the exact same channel all the
time. They were just like and this is
for your Co worker. Please stop stealing this guy's
stapler. Suddenly, this was not just a

(17:36):
list, it was a national conversation.
Yeah. I mean, yeah, everyone was
always like, what's going to be in the Top 40?
Oh, yeah, with this. And then what came later with
TRL, it was just, Oh my God, it was must see or must listen to
radio and television. Yeah.
People don't know what TRL was for my generation.
I love TRL big. Time stuff it was.

(17:57):
Within a few years, American Top40 was carried by hundreds of
stations. Families planned Rd. trips
around the Sunday broadcast. That's cute.
Go get a picnic and listen to Casey Kasem.
They played all 40 songs, right?They did.
So it had to be a pretty long. Was it like 3 hours?
Four hours, 40? Songs. 40 songs.
Yeah, the longest. It's all day.
It started as 3. Ended up going to four.

(18:18):
Yeah. Wow, Yeah.
Can you imagine how many lives Casey Kasem saved on the road on
Sundays? People dad's just being like,
get the fuck out of the way. That's funny.
Yeah, no, Mama told me not to come by Three Dog Night.
No, I'm just thinking about Mama.
Oh God. Wow.
Teens recorded episodes on the cassette tapes, which was huge.
I used to do that all the time. Yeah, a little romance.

(18:39):
You could send someone that you like a little cassette tape with
some love songs on it. It's like it's getting hot in
here by Nelly. Yeah, yeah.
If you made a mixtape for someone back in the day, they
meant something to you. Yeah, it was effort.
I did that once but then they didn't seem to like any of the
songs. That's the worst, too.
Yeah. What is this?
Yeah. Oh, you don't like 3 Doors Down?

(19:02):
I was just saying Superman. It's kind of a romantic, I
thought. If I go crazy, then it's just.
Like I never called you Superman.
You're a fat fucking asshole. What do you mean go crazy?
You are crazy. Oh, I see.
And I'm not Superman. Gotcha.
Yeah. Thank you.
And Casey's gentle, optimistic delivery turned him into one of
the most trusted voices in popular music.

(19:23):
But by the late 1970s, American Top 40 was more than a radio
show. It was a national habit.
The program expanded from three to four hours, reflecting both
the longer runtime of songs and the sheer volume of music news
that Kasem packed into each broadcast.
God forbid Pink Floyd has like 3songs on them.
That's seven hours. Oh my God, Yep.
Stations loved the format because it was clean, reliable

(19:45):
and professional. Kasem delivered chart positions
with precision and always wrapped them in human stories.
Do we know how did they decide who was in the Top 40?
It was the Billboard Hot Music chart, so.
So billboard was like. Based off of sales.
Based off of sales, yeah. Yeah, so it's always the popular
music of the time. I would love the unpopular Top

(20:06):
40. That would be great.
That would be pretty cool probably.
A lot of the artists that we like would be on there.
Yeah, definitely, yeah. So he might tell the tale of a
struggling band finally hitting it big, or how a song travelled
up the charts faster than anyoneever expected.
For millions of listeners, thesestories were as important as the
music itself. What a fun time that would be
for a musician. I know it's so much more

(20:27):
difficult and it's changed so much, but back in the day, it
seemed pretty simple. Yeah.
Yeah. That in the Top 40.
They're like, we're 20 today, Bobby, You'd be like, wow, what
the fuck? That's so awesome.
Driving in the car and being like, that's my song playing on
the radio. Oh my God, it'd be so cool.
That must be crazy. We're going on tour with Three
Dog Night. We're gonna see how their mom
really does. Oh my God.
I can't stop thinking about. It.
Yeah, I see that. Yeah.

(20:47):
Yeah, it was a lot. It was a lot.
By the 1980s, American Top 40 had gone global, syndicated in
over 50 countries. That's more than 25% of the
world. Wow, it's a lot of people.
It's a shit load. Yeah, yeah, it's going to go
with the shit load, Yeah. Yes, a metric fuck load.
It was played on U.S. military bases overseas, ensuring that
service members heard the same countdown their families were

(21:08):
listening to back. Oh, oh, sweet.
But behind the scenes, tension was growing.
In 1988, Kasem left the show he had built, frustrated with
corporate management and creative conflicts.
As always, it always happens. How can Casey Kasem be
controversial to anybody? I know, right?
Yeah, Like what could he have possibly wanted to do that they
were like, no, we're going to have to cap.

(21:29):
That it might not not even be that it might be some suit
walking in thinking they have toearn their job by changing
something for no fucking reason.Yeah, we're going to swap out
the number 34 with the number 33and just kind of flip those
around, see how that works out. And can you make sure to get our
advertisers? Can you?
Can you say the name Peas more, please?

(21:52):
Peas more please. If it ain't broke, don't.
Fix it please. His final broadcast aired on
August 6th, 1988. The network continued 1840 with
the new host, Shadow Stevens. Shadow.
Oh, Steve. Come on, I listen to No Shadow
Stevens. He's the shadow.
He's in the shadow of fucking Casey Kasem, I'll tell you that.
Definitely. I mean, jeez, they have some

(22:14):
nerve trying to just replace Casey Kasem.
Like he hasn't been like the voice of that everyone's been
listening to for the last like 30 years up until this point.
So Shadow Stevens sounds like a villain from Scooby-doo it.
Really does. Oh, Sykes, what are they doing?
I would have gone away with it too.
They said the magic of Kasem's warmth was gone.
Yeah, Shadow Stevens. Yeah, Casey responded by

(22:36):
creating Casey's Top 40 in 1989 with Westwood 1A near carbon
copy of his original format, andloyal listeners followed him
over, proving that it wasn't thechart that mattered, it was the
fucking man behind the mic. Definitely.
Thanks to all the loyal listeners out there who go with
you wherever you go after a bunch of bullshit happened.
Yeah, Fucking Casey. He's like, I'm the star, Yeah.

(22:58):
And my show? You can't do my show without me.
Shadow Stevens. Shadow Stevens, Good luck.
Sounds like a porn star who justnever comes.
Just the fact that none of us know who he is.
Just. Volumes.
Yeah, I feel bad 'cause it's nothis fault, but yeah.
No, he took the job. That's he knew what he was
doing. Are you not gonna take it?

(23:18):
No, I'm not replacing Casey Kasem.
Oh, shit. Don't know.
What are you gonna fucking do? Yeah.
You can't replace Legends. Yeah, it's always the guy after
the guy I. Literally, there was a yeah.
Like Tom Brady left and then we got, you know, Cam Newton, he
was gone right away. Shut up with the Patriots.
Now we're. How Are you sure now we're Take
me baby. I can't believe you shoehorn the
Patriots into this. You.
Gotta do something. Sunday's getting closer.

(23:40):
OK, it is. Whenever you're listening to
this, it could be on Sunday. It made no sense.
It didn't even work really. Of course it does.
It doesn't. We found our next guy, but
there's a couple guys in between.
You can't be the first guy afterthe guy.
There you go, that's what I'm saying.
OK, I love it. You get it.
Just like. I do get it, but it's just very
it's. Just like the Patriots.
It's exactly like. Very much like Big Lebowski,

(24:01):
like what does this have to do with Vietnam, Walter?
You know, But then the thoughts there.
In the mid 1990s, Stevens version of AT40 collapsed.
By 1998, Kasem had regained the rights to the name and
triumphantly relaunched AmericanTop 40 Let's Go bringing it back
under his control until until his retirement and eventual
handoff to Ryan Seacrest in 2000.

(24:22):
In the early 2000s. Ah, and then Ryan Seacrest is
the name. Now that you know now.
Yep, and Ryan Seacrest does do agood job.
He's a good radio guy. He is a good radio guy.
He's always been a phenomenal host and his.
Teeth are bright. His teeth are bright, he's very
tall. Is he tall?
He's. Very, very tall.
I'm in secret, yeah. He's a little.
No, no, no. He is very tall.

(24:44):
I've I've seen him walking the streets of New York.
So he's actually an attractive man.
Yeah, he really is. Yeah, I think the the way I saw
him, I think I saw him across the street and I didn't realize
he didn't he could hear me. But I was.
I told someone next to me I was like, man, that guy looks like
Ryan Seacrest. And he just turns around and
goes hi with a very, very like resonant radio voice.
And I was like, oh, it's becauseit is Ryan Seacrest.

(25:05):
I mean, there you go, your. Voice carries very well.
Yeah, I. Love you, Sir.
It is very tall. That's awesome.
So even though Casey Kasem's public persona was calm,
professional and endlessly warm,he even he had his breaking
point. Yeah, show business will break
anybody. In the mid 1980s, while taping

(25:25):
an episode of American Top 40, Kasem was handed a script that
jumped from an upbeat rock song to a long distance dedication
about a dead family dog. Oh my.
God Producer. The tonal whiplash infuriated
him. That's hilarious.
Tonal whiplash is correct. How was it like sweet cherry
pie? We're going to listen to the

(25:49):
clip here. Now we're up to our long
distance dedication, and this one is about kids and pets and a
situation that we can all understand whether we have kids
or pets or neither. It's from a man in Cincinnati,
OH, and here's what he writes. Dear Casey, this may seem to be
a strange dedication request, but I'm quite sincere and it'll

(26:10):
need a lot if you play it. Recently there was a death in
our family. He was a little dog named
Snuggles, but he was most certainly a part of Let's Go
Start Again from coming out of the record.
Play the record, OK, please. See, when you come out of those
up tempo goddamn numbers, man, it's impossible to make those

(26:33):
transitions. And then you got to go into
somebody dying. You know, they do this to me all
the time. I don't know what the hell they
do it for, but goddamn it, if wecan't come out of a slow record,
I don't understand it. He's down on the phone.
OK. I love a God damn concerted
effort to come out of a record that isn't a fucking up tempo
record every time I do a God damn death dedication.

(26:54):
Now make it. And I also want to know what
happened to the pictures I was supposed to see this week.
It's a God last God damn time. I want somebody to use his
fucking brain to not come out ofa God damn record that is that's
up tempo. And I got to talk about a
fucking dog dying, man. Ponderous.
Fucking ponderous. Yo, I love, I love angry Casey.

(27:19):
Oh, I wish there was a whole show.
Just angry. Casey.
Casey. Never heard him angry.
Yeah. I love her.
He's also making himself more upset the more he speaks.
Like anyone's responding to him.Yeah, he's.
Spiraling. You can just, oh, you know, the
intern is just like, Oh my God, shit.
And they're just like, just wait.
He'll be. Give me a minute.

(27:39):
The audio leaked, spread amongstDJs and eventually went viral in
the Internet age. For fans, it was shocking, but
also strangely humanizing. Yeah.
He's a person. Exactly but I.
Mean it makes total sense it wasn't like he was being like a
diva about something right. It was like this doesn't make
this is pretty fucked up that you guys keep doing this.
It's yeah, we didn't really. Clear that he's just like we've

(28:00):
talked about this. Yeah, what?
The fuck are you doing? When we get out of Mötley Crüe,
we don't talk about dead dogs, right?
When we get out of Adele, maybe we can mention it, yeah.
Yeah. Moving on behind the Polish
perfection was a man who demanded quality, Dammit.
Yeah, and he wasn't afraid to call out bad production off the
air. He was just as outspoken, but

(28:21):
about bigger issues. He was a proud Lebanese American
who frequently pushed back against Arab stereotypes in
Hollywood. Love that.
He turned down voice roles he considered racist, and he spoke
publicly about representation ata time when few celebrities did.
Oh, that's awesome. Fantastic.
He was also an early animal rights and environmental
advocate, long before it was fashionable.
Interesting. He promoted vegetarianism and

(28:44):
later veganism in interviews andpublic campaigns.
He lent his voice to causes he believed in just as passionately
as he lent it to the Billboard charts.
So he really did love animals. He did?
Yeah. It's.
Cute just like all around like great guys.
Stand up, dude. Yeah, for listeners who only
knew him as the gentle Countdownking, these glimpses, the fiery

(29:04):
studio outburst and the principled activism painted a
fuller picture of him. He wasn't just a broadcaster.
He was a perfectionist, a believer in justice, and a man
unafraid to take a stand. I believe it.
I mean this. He's still a military man.
You got to do things right. That's true too, yeah.
Come on now. In 1980, he launched America's
Top 10, a weekly TV show that mirrored his radio format but

(29:26):
added music videos and pop culture news.
The world's a changing. Yeah, it gave audiences a chance
to see the man whose voice they had known for decades.
Wow, And you know, that's sayingsomething else, especially
considering he was like he's a Lebanese American and more of
like an Arab look and like most of Americans didn't even realize
that's who they were listening to was like someone of colour,

(29:47):
right? But then, but it's someone that
they know and love. Oh.
Can you imagine if people found out he was Arab back then?
Yeah, like what the fuck is going on?
Yeah, top ten what exactly? Hiding places for a weapon.
Oh my God. Yeah, he does transcend all of
that stuff, doesn't he? Yeah, but I guess again, going
back to him changing his name, he got in, but then when he gets

(30:10):
in, then you can start making change.
Exactly. He eventually went on to voice
Robin, the Boy Wonder and Super Friends.
No kidding. He used his lent his voice to
commercial campaigns and countless animated series.
By the 90s, Kasem's voice was woven into both childhood and
adulthood. He's Robin and Shaggy.
Yeah, I didn't. Know that.

(30:31):
Shit by night he's always working with bats or dogs.
It's always the idiots or idiots.
He has always loved animals. Yeah, and idiots.
In 1998, Kasem returned triumphantly to American Top 40
after regaining the rights, and he hosted until January 2004,
when he let Ryan Seacrest take over.
That's right, even after that, Kasem kept his voice alive on

(30:54):
spin offs like American Top 20 and Top 10 tailored to adult
contemporary stations. It must be, it must, it must be
nice to give it away to like Ryan Seacrest, 'cause he's all
hot and stuff. Yeah.
And so then you're like, sweet, like before I lost it to Shadow
Stevens and that guy really sucks.
But like, Ryan, that's cool. We're contemporaries.
I'm super handsome like you. But by the mid 2000's, the

(31:16):
cracks were showing. Kasem, then in his 70s,
struggled with the demands of weekly hosting.
In 2009, after more than 50 years in broadcasting, he
officially retired for good. Wow, I mean, I can imagine.
Sounds like you've earned it. Yes, if anyone did.
Go relax. Yeah, and this is his last sign
off. I'd like to share with you

(31:37):
something I've learned over the years.
Success doesn't happen in a vacuum.
You're only as good as the people you work with and the
people you work for. I've been lucky.
I've worked for and with the very best.
Except for Shadow Stevens. Lest we forget.

(31:57):
American Top 20 is a production of the premier radio networks.
AT20 was created by Casey Kasem and Don Bustani.
Produced by Laurie Crimi. Our staff includes Matt Wilson,
Merrill Schindler and Toby JamesPetty.
Production and engineering by Michael Cooper and Ray
Hernandez. I'm Casey Kasem now one more

(32:18):
time. The words I've ended my show
with since 19 70. Keep your feet on the ground and
keep reaching for the stars. Oh, I love it.
It does sound like he's about togive away a free car.
That's free car music I've ever heard.
Of definitely is. He still had the golden voice
though. Didn't he?
He did. Perfect.
Yeah. In 2007, the public began to

(32:40):
notice he was slowing down. That year he was diagnosed with
Parkinson's disease. Shit.
At first, the condition was keptprivate, but it was part of the
reason why he stepped away from regular hosting duties.
Yeah, that's one of the worst. Why can't we solve?
We got to solve all this stuff. I know.
Come on now. As time went on, doctors
realized it wasn't just Parkinson's.
The diagnosis was revised to Lewy body dementia.

(33:01):
Oh no. Lewy body dementia.
Yeah, it's when these little, like, protein balls grow on your
brain and fuck you up. My Nana had it.
Yeah, it's brutal. That sucks.
Who the fuck is Lewy Body? Why'd they name it?
I think it's after Louie. Louie's body.
Yeah, he's a little fat guy you get?
Yeah. You get so gross you end up
looking like Louie. Yeah, you couldn't get him off

(33:21):
your brain. He looks so small and oh.
Got little Louie's all over my brain, yeah.
That sucks. Yeah, it's a degenerative brain
disease that affects memory, movement and behavior.
I feel so bad for Louie. Yeah, it's in the sublime song.
Love is what I got, he says. Yeah, the way to Louie body is
the only way to stay sane. Is that what that's about?
Yeah. Yeah, I had no idea.

(33:42):
That's why I still learn. I'm still learning about
Sublime. Yeah.
Seriously. Sublime, as I call it.
Whoa. Some people get mad at me.
Sublime. Sublime.
Wow, that's. Like I'll sub the lime.
So annoying can. I all of it.
Tequila Sublime. Sublime.
Sublime with what? Grapefruit I don't.

(34:05):
Know I sub the lime for lemon. You guys have any extra
balloons? OK.
Balloons. I say balloons just fine,
police. Police and balloons.
Oh, one of our one of our listeners actually wants to hear
you say cement. Cement.
Cement. Cement.
What the fuck is wrong with you people?
Cement. Cement.
Cement. Cement, cement.
You have cement. I'm sorry, I I I was carrying my

(34:27):
balloon on the cement when I fucking decided to shoot
everybody that I know. Wow, God forbid you pronounce
things phonetically correct. I've never.
I've never. I ain't hooked on phonics, I'm
hooked on drugs. Really funny, I've never seen
someone skip vowels before. Who?
Cares about a vowel. So vehemently you.

(34:48):
Should I suck at Wheel of Fortune?
It's the same illness that wouldlater be linked to Robin
Williams decline. The Lewy body sucks.
Yeah. By 2013, his condition in
advance so far, he could no longer speak.
For a man whose entire life was built on his voice, it was
devastating. What year was that?

(35:09):
2013. Oh, So what happened really
fast? Yeah.
Wow. Oh, that sucks.
The voice that had introduced generations to their favorite
music and artists was now silenced.
His final public appearance actually came before that, in
2009 at a charity event. After that, he vanished from the
spotlight as his illness forced him into private care.
And this is where things get dark, because instead of a

(35:30):
peaceful retirement, his condition would become the spark
for one of the most bitter celebrity family feuds in modern
history. Dude, fuck money.
Fuck money. Dude, it's real bad.
I hate it. By the early 2010, I mean, I'll
take all of it. I'll take all the money.
But yeah, not the drama. No.
By the early twenty 10s, Kasem'sillness was no longer a private
matter. He had become unable to make

(35:51):
decisions for himself, and the question of guardianship
exploded into public view. And this, this became a big
thing with Britney Spears, obviously, like the
conservatorship and the guardianship.
Yeah. On one side, Kasem's adult
children from his first marriage, Carrie, Julie and
Mike. On the other side was his second
wife, Jean, a former actress whohe had married in 1980.
Oh shit, So it's Jean versus thekids?

(36:12):
Yeah. Bing Bing Bing.
Here we go. Step into the ring.
Oh no. The children had accused her of
isolating their father, refusingthem visits, making questionable
medical choices. Ohh no, what are you talking?
About I invested in the best crystals that North Hollywood
has. I'm.
Dead. Come on, Gene countered with her
own accusations, saying that thechildren were motivated by money
and inheritance. Which obviously, yeah, a little

(36:35):
bit. A little bit, yeah.
Yes. That's why it's so nice.
My parents have nothing. There's no inheritance.
When they die, we're gonna owe money, right?
Yeah. Just there's.
No, no drama. Yeah.
Like, do you want Mom's Hummels?I'll be like, I'll take the
Hummels that are worth nothing. Yeah.
What else do they have that's worth nothing?
We can split that up amongst those three.
Yeah. Just break the plates in half,

(36:57):
you know? The dispute escalated into
lawsuits, protests and dueling press conferences.
That's so fucking annoying to bring it to the public.
I know it's brutal. In October 2013, a Los Angeles
judge granted Kerry, the daughter, temporary
conservatorship rights. So she was allowed, Yeah, she
was allowed to make medical decisions for him.

(37:17):
He gave her a little power, but Gene struck back, moving Casey
from one facility to another, sometimes without warning.
Wow. Sometimes against medical
advice. They're.
Just OK, they're now they're just family feuding.
Yeah. And he's he's the leverage and
they're treating him like fucking cargo.
And it's yeah, he should have just been in the most relaxed
state for the final 10 whatever years of his life.

(37:40):
Yeah. Seriously, Silk?
Bed. If there's any upside to it,
it's maybe that he doesn't know what's going on.
So but they say now they do knowa lot more than they let on
because they just physically can't let on what they know.
Shit as they're 'cause they're studying the brain.
Wow. They're learning our thoughts.
God, they're. Listening to us, they really
are. Well, this situation really

(38:01):
boiled over to May 2014. Gene suddenly removed Casey from
a Santa Monica nursing home and disappeared with him.
What? Oh my God, what are we doing
here? Gone Homeward bound.
What's happening? Why?
What are you gonna do with him? It's not even, Yeah, it's like,
not it's like against his betterwishes for his health.
Why would she want to risk that?Well, the three children filed a
missing persons report. For weeks, no one knew where the

(38:22):
82 year old went. I don't Wow, I was this big
news. Yes, Yeah, I think I remember
this. They lost Casey Kasich.
For a while. Jesus, yeah.
The disappearance dominated headlines.
Yeah, news anchors who had grownup listening to him now reported
him as a missing person. It's insane.
What a fucking shit way to end your few days.

(38:44):
Although do you think Casey maybe 'cause he didn't really
know what was going on, perhaps maybe he enjoyed some of it?
He's like, yeah, we're on the run, baby.
Were they in nice hotels? It better be a nice hopefully.
No, we'll find out where they went.
Oh, no. Protesters were actually
gathering outside of Gene's properties, chanting for access
to Casey. So people off the street are
like, let us. Yeah.

(39:05):
Wow. Where is he changed?
Where's Casey? You didn't love him the way that
I loved him. If you knew him like I knew him,
you wouldn't even like him. Caseys like I don't know even
know where I am. Yeah, poor Casey.
Finally, in June 2014, Casey waslocated.
He was in Washington state staying with family and friends,
but by then his health had sharply declined due to the

(39:25):
abrupt move in inconsistent care.
Wow, so. Stupid, his children rushed N to
be by his side. That's so messed up, I can't
believe she risked that. Yeah, and he had enough money
for proper care, right? He wasn't like, broke, right?
No, I guess that's why they werearguing.
Yeah, yeah, no, she was trying to keep everything for herself
and saying that they're trying to take away what's rightfully
hers. It's all fucked up.

(39:46):
Just split it. Just split it.
It means Christ. Why it's?
His children. Why would you even want that?
Like on your back? Just like oh I denied his own
kids the the right to their inheritance.
Right Money is just such a corrupter it's.
So gross. It makes everyone so weird.
Yeah. And when family members die,
it's it's so sad to see. Everyone just gets ripped apart.
I know I. Don't know how people can sleep

(40:07):
at night. I don't know either.
I'd be worried they'd fucking break into my house and kill me.
Oh, well, that's just a family issue.
That's just that's just the pluethat.
Feels. Yeah, that feels specific.
To it surely is, but no. Also, if it's like millions of
dollars at stake, you don't think someone would fucking come
cut your head off? They're going to put you in some
cement shoes, buddy. Cement, cement, old Nike

(40:29):
cements. Guess why I can't dunk?
I wear the Nike cement. Oh my God.
So eventually authorities get involved and authorities, they
go up to Washington state and they intervene.
Casey was in dire condition. He was suffering, obviously,
from the advanced Lewy body dementia, unable to speak,

(40:50):
bedridden and dependent on medical equipment.
Poor guy, doctors told Kerry that aggressive treatments would
not improve his quality of life at this point and he had been
gone too long for medical care and she's just absolutely
horrible. Y'all fucked it up too much.
We can't unfuck it at this point.
So sorry. Unfuckable situation.
Mm hmm. That's what Mama says, anyway.

(41:12):
Oh Mama, don't make me cum. Mama, bring it back, God.
Damn it, Three Dog Night. Good country song.
Yeah, my mom was the dog. Oh, come on now.
What's wrong with you? With that, the decision was made
to shift KC to comfort care, which AKA Hospice.
OK, that sounds nice. Comfort care, Comfort plus.

(41:33):
Yeah, because the place where you're about to die is.
That's the place where you're. That's the exit spot.
Yeah, it's a. Little bit more jarring, but.
Will they accept accept my application for because I would
love to stay there? That's hilarious.
So like Sir, you, you need to have a lot less days left.
You don't know how many days I've left.
We, we, we never know, do we? Watch that lock and chill out

(41:55):
and hit a button that gives me drugs.
I'm. So sick.
Let's. Go.
Sounds pretty good. Yeah.
Is he gonna solve this case? Yeah.
I don't know If he does solve this 10 he does, yeah.
So when you go into Hospice, it is part of protocol that your
feeding tubes are removed, IV fluids are done.
Wow, really? Medications are removed, Yeah.

(42:16):
Because if you keep drinking water, you'll stay alive for,
like, way longer than you should.
And if you keep eating, so they pretty much starve and, you
know, dehydrate you to death, but you're gonna die anyway.
Fuck yeah. But what?
It really kick starts the death process.
But why do we need if? Yeah, OK.
I don't know. I don't know.
Yeah, I'm not sure about all that.
It doesn't sound very comfort. Yeah, it doesn't.

(42:36):
That sounds terrifying, that one.
Like here is where you come so that we can speed up your
process of dying. Yeah, they got it all wrong.
That needs to be a tray full of like heroin and cocaine.
They make a Mad Dog 2020 for breakfast.
Honestly. Like if you're gonna die anyway,
just go out having fun. And since?
Yeah, exactly. And since you're trying to speed
up the process, don't speed it up by starving me.

(42:58):
Speed it up with a whiskey, Yeah.
Let's go What about overeating? Make my tummy hurt and that 97.
I won't be able to survive that fucking tummy egg.
But I'll be drunk as a motherfucker, tell you that.
And everything will be alright. Everything we.
Find it will be. Gene Kasem protested every step.
In one notorious incident, she blocked paramedics from taking

(43:18):
Casey to the hospital and hurledraw hamburger meat at his
daughters car. Excuse me, So who's what now?
Yes, her old raw hamburger meat.Did he also replace Casey case?
I'm on the Top 40 did. He also tell Mama not to come.
Oh, hamburger, Hamburger. The raw hamburger meat thing.
She claimed it was a biblical act meant to feed the dogs.

(43:39):
So she was calling his kids dogs.
She might be psycho. She's definitely a psycho for
sure. Yeah, so.
The bizarre protest was caught on camera and replayed
endlessly, another surreal layerto an already heartbreaking
story. It was on video her throwing
hamburger meat at somebody. Hamburg.
Yeah, that daughter at her own step, kids.
Absolutely insane. And it's so sad because, yeah,

(44:00):
'cause he's such a like, American icon, legend, hero,
someone that's like, really likerespected and for everything
that he's done. And then and then it ends like
this. Yeah, it ain't good.
Yeah, Casey spent his last days in the hospital in Gig Harbor,
WA, surrounded by his children, so at least that was nice, that.
Is nice. No, on June 15th, 2014, he

(44:21):
passed away at the age of 82. The official cause of death was
sepsis caused by an infected bedsore.
Oh my, so they weren't even taking?
Care of him? No.
Yeah. When you get bed.
Sores he was. Yeah, bed sores are not good.
Yeah, they usually from my nursing home days, they have
these contraptions that pick youup out of the bed and they'll be
able to like wash you and stuff so you don't get them or they'll

(44:42):
turn you. You got to go have conjugal
visits with your last girlfriend.
It's so weird. Conjugal visits with the bed.
Sore much about it, he had to dothe scrubbing.
Oh yeah, scrubbing of the under tit on the Honda on Wanda.
Yolanda Yolanda lady with the one big tit.
You lift up, you lift with one hand, and then you scrub.

(45:05):
You can hear that story on last week's OK But.
Yeah, that's right. Yeah, I got something done.
I got something you can scrub, boy.
Nope. Yeah, Ben Landa.
Yuck. Oh, that's where that went.
But missing that piece of popcorn, Seriously complicated

(45:26):
by everything was complicated byhis dementia and Parkinsonian
symptoms. Yeah, news of his death
travelled fast. Headlines mourn the loss of a
man who had been the soundtrack of America's weekends for nearly
40 years. For millions of fans, the
announcement marked the end of an era.
But for his family, it was only the beginning of another fight.
Jesus. Are you kidding me,

(45:47):
motherfucker? Wow, there's so there's such
douchebags. They really are they.
Did not do well. It really sucks too because
obviously someone in this position would already have like
a will and testament ready to go, but since he wasn't all
there his wife could have taken advantage and been like oh just
sign right here sweetheart. Right.
Go on, auto pen with it, Yeah. So his death did not end the

(46:09):
drama. If anything, it escalated it.
The first battle was over where he should be buried.
Wow all. Right.
Just where he wants to. Right.
What's like this isn't your fucking decision.
Yeah, this is the person who died that they've.
God, don't get me started. We're getting you started, pal.
Killed this lady. His children wanted him laid to

(46:30):
rest in California, the state where he had built his life and
career. Yeah, that makes complete sense.
But fucking mean Gene Kasem? Uh huh.
She insisted it was her right ashis legal spouse to decide
wherever the fuck she wants. Oh no.
So where did she end up putting him?
Well, interesting question, Jerry.
In a move that stunned the public, Gene had Casey's body

(46:53):
flown overseas. What?
What to Lebanon? That would actually make sense.
Yeah, yeah, at least would make some sense.
Six months after his death, he was buried in Vester Gravelin
Cemetery in Oslo, Norway. Why what?
Why? What was it his favorite place
to visit? Fucking.

(47:14):
Why, it was certainly far from the place his children believed
he should have been buried and where he wanted to be buried.
Wow, I can't. Why did she go against that?
I don't understand this a weird decision because.
She's a psychopath, OK? They were not informed of the
burial until after it happened, of course, because they would
have stopped her. His daughter Kerry called it a

(47:35):
disgrace and said it went against his stated wishes.
That is so nuts. So like even after he died she
was still stealing and hiding him?
Yeah, yeah. So fucking so weird.
Mourn him. Now you have to go to Oslo.
Meanwhile, the legal fight is still raging on.
They're still in the ring fighting each other.

(47:55):
Wow. In 2015, Casey's children filed
A wrongful death lawsuit againstJean, accusing her accusing her
of elder abuse and hastening hisdecline through neglect and
unnecessary moves and. She wasted hamburger meat.
That's. The biggest crime of all, it's
definitely one of them, Jean countered with her own lawsuits,
claiming the children had financial motives.
Oh my God, you literally killed him quickly.

(48:18):
Right. Yeah.
Or think about it. Maybe they love their dad.
Right could be also they are it's not like they're allowed to
get money from the that's how itworks.
Yeah. So she's not they get the money.
They're they're kids. They're.
Kids, They're his offspring. Right.
What's the point in working for everything?
Isn't you want to do it for yourkids?
Right. Courtrooms in California and

(48:40):
Washington heard testimony aboutCasey's final months, untreated
infections, withheld medicationsand scenes of family members
being denied access. Psycho.
It was a painful public airing of a private tragedy.
In 2019, after years of litigation, Washington state
prosecutors declined to file criminal charges against Jean,
citing insufficient evidence. The wrongful death suit was

(49:03):
eventually dismissed and no one was held legally responsible.
That's crazy. I think they should have won
that lawsuit. Yeah.
Absolutely. Yeah, it's.
Just it's completely backed by the fact that she just kept on
like taking him and moving him from facility to facility.
If he has bed sores it's not hisfault.
No, that's all on them. Exactly.
Just gotta flip Casey over, washhim off every day.

(49:26):
I know it's not easy, but come on now.
The lawsuits faded, but the bitterness never did.
For fans, it was a sad ending tothe life of a man who had once
united America through music. Yeah, for his children, it was a
battle not only for their father's care, but for his
dignity and death. Yeah.
Also, yeah, like I said, they weren't they?
They kind of just tainted all ofall of his lifelong work.

(49:48):
They really did. They tried to, but they didn't.
But they tried to, yeah. Did when the court battles and
all the family drama and all thebullshit and the missing bodies
and the being shipped to Oslo, Norway.
When all that's stripped away. What really endures is his
voice. For more than 4 decades, Casey
Kasem was the trusted narrator of popular music.
From the first broadcast of American Top 40 on July 4th,

(50:10):
1970 to his final sign off in 2009, he guided listeners
through the hits with warmth, empathy and authority.
Yes, he did. His long distance dedications
gave ordinary people a way to connect across miles, turning
private love and grief into shared cultural moments.
His sign off, Keep your feet on the ground and keep reaching for
the stars became a mantra for optimism.

(50:30):
That's really I really like thatmantra.
I like that it starts with something grounded.
Yeah. Keep your feet on the ground,
but reach for the stars. Reach for him.
Yeah, as a voice actor, he left an equally deep mark to millions
of children. He wasn't just Casey Kasem, the
DJ. He was Shaggy.
He was Robin. If even if you never heard a
countdown, you probably heard him on Saturday mornings.

(50:51):
Definitely. I don't even know I was
listening to him. I know, and it's me too.
Kasem also mattered because he believed in something bigger
than show business. Like I said, he advocated for
Arab American representation, refused to perpetuate
stereotypes, and championed animals rights and vegetarianism
long before they were mainstream.
Yeah. And then with the hamburger
meat, what's Gene doing with thehamburger meat then?

(51:12):
Wow, you're really hung up on this ham well.
Because he was a vegetarian and next thing you know she's
throwing around cow is if you would have approved.
Of that and she's talking bad about dogs, talking to his kids,
being like, you're fucking dogs,you eat raw hamburger meat.
Wow, that's quite a treat for a dog.
Or something from the Midwest called a cannibal sandwich.
He would have not stood for any of this behavior.

(51:32):
He would not have. Yeah, even his infamous dead dog
dedication outtake has a strangeplace in his legacy.
It showed the human side of a man who went decades maintaining
a flawless public image. He's correct as well.
Yeah, exactly. So exactly like it wasn't even
like he lost it for no reason, right?
A reminder that behind the smooth voice was someone who
cared deeply about getting it right.

(51:54):
Casey Kasem's final years were marred by conflict, but his
cultural impact remains untouchable.
He was the voice of a generation, then another, then
another after that. His countdowns weren't just
lists of songs, they were the weekly soundtrack of American
life. And when people remember him
now, it isn't the lawsuits or the scandals that echo the
loudest. It's the sound of his voice
somewhere on a Sunday drive, announcing, and now the number

(52:16):
one song in the USA. Wow.
Just cut to somebody getting finger popped for the first time
in the back of a Honda. Lonely hell.
Yeah, sweet. Maybe.
Maybe one wants a couple of partners, if you know what I
mean. Oh my God.
That's how you finger people with multiple.
Is it? Women like hands.
Yeah, they do. And on that note, all right,

(52:38):
that will bring us too. Final.
Thoughts. You can do it.
That's what I say. Yeah.
A man born from a Lebanese family in Detroit made it all
the way to the big to the big time.
And he was incredible. And he changed radio forever.
And I love him and he's an inspiration and just goes to
show you that you can do it if you keep your feet on the ground

(53:00):
and you keep on reaching into the foot of straws.
You know, and it also, it also just goes to show that you can,
you can have some level of dignity in this, in, in this
industry. In this business, you.
Can have you can hold on to things that you believe in and
not like, completely just give in to like the corrupt world.
Yeah, even if you have a crazy wife that's gonna drag you down

(53:20):
in death. There's always a fucking Shadow
Stevens, too, but they can have the gig.
The audience is going to be like, oh, that's right, this
isn't good because Casey Kasem isn't a part of this.
And then inevitably, he won. Because the audience, they can
tell when someone is fucking bullshitting them, right?
They can tell when someone lovestheir job.
Yeah. Exactly, and I do want to make

(53:42):
111 correction here. Oh correction the the Patreon
chats going crazy. Oh, they said Ryan Seacrest is
5/8 but you must have been shorter at the time.
Oh seriously? Yeah, he looks so tall.
Yeah, 5 maybe. He was wearing the heels.
He does wear lips. He 58, Yeah.
That's. So with the lips, he could

(54:03):
probably could have got up to like five 11511.
He's got those big. He was.
He was in boots. Boots plus lifts inside, yeah,
he could have got up to like 6-1probably.
Interesting. Yeah, Yeah, I could see that.
I. Could see that.
OK, Yeah. Hollywood's full of lies.
I stand corrected. I just don't want people
screaming at their radios. Jesus.
That's good for him, keeps him alive, keeps him from swerving

(54:25):
off the road. All right, everyone, thank you
so much for listening to though another fantastic episode of
Death and Entertainment. Love yourself, be yourself, hail
yourself. And until next week.
Don't go, go dying on us. Bye.
You have just heard. A true Hollywood murder mystery.
I have never seen anything like this before.

(54:46):
The movies, Broadway, music, television, all of it.
A place that manufacturers nightmares look.
Everybody, that's a wrap. Goodnight.
Please drive home carefully and come back again soon.