Casey Kasem, longtime Top 40 radio DJ with Parkinson’s Disease, has gone missing. A Los Angeles Supreme Court judge has ordered an investigation to locate him.
Kasem, now 82 years old, co-founded the Top 40 franchise with Don Bustany and Ron Jacobs in 1970. He hosted the radio program from 1970 until 1988, then again in 1998, but retired in 2009. In the time between the regular Top 40 gigs, he hosted Casey’s Top 40, Casey’s Hot 20, and Casey’s Countdown.
In addition to his radio jobs, he also voiced Shaggy from Scooby Doo for 40 years, Robin from Super Friends and many Transformers characters. His voice also appeared in the 1984 hit movie Ghostbusters.
Kasem’s Parkinson’s disease has progressed to the point where he can no longer speak. After legal disputes with Kasem’s second and current wife, Jean, Kasem’s daughter Kerri – from his first marriage – was named Kasem’s temporary caretaker by the court on Monday. Jean Kasem’s lawyer has since said that he has no idea where the iconic radio personality is being treated, but that he has “been removed from the country” and that Jean Kasem had every right to make that decision without consulting or informing Kasem’s children.
The confusion of the case is what led the judge to order an investigation into Kasem’s whereabouts. In addition to making that decision and appointing Kerri as the primary caretaker for Kasem, he also appointed a doctor to the medical case.
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