Father’s Day brings some sad news, as it’s been reported that Casey Kasem, one of the most famous voices in American pop culture history, has died at the age of 82 after suffering for months from the effects of dementia.
Kasem was a regular on the airwaves, both radio and television, for most of the late 20th Century, starting in 1970 when he became the host and voice of “American Top 40,” a countdown of the top singles in the country. Kasem would continue this weekly radio tradition in one configuration or another for over forty years, finally retiring in 2009.
That wasn’t the only place where Kasem’s voice would become familiar to Americans as he also originated and provided the inimitable voice of Norville “Shaggy” Rogers for most of the “Scooby Doo” cartoons from 1969 to 1997 and then returned to the character from 2002 to 2009. Fans of old school genre cartoons will likely have heard Kasem providing other voices over the years, like Robin on the popular “Super Friends,” in the original ’80s “Transformers” cartoon and “Battle of the Planets.”
Casem leaves behind his wife Jean Kasem and their daughter Liberty Jean, as well as three kids from his previous wife Linda Myers.
(Photo Credit: David B Edwards / WENN)
