Memories of My Father CASEY KASEM

THE HOST OF AMERICAN TOP 40 WAS A FAMILY MAN WHO WANTED TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE

- Louise A. Barile, Lindsay Hoffman

Sometimes American Top 40 host Casey Kasem would become so overcome while doing a particularly touching dedication that he’d have to pause taping. “He had so much compassion and empathy for people,” his daughter Kerri Kasem, who worked with Casey, tells Closer. “He would read about someone’s loss or dedication and it would make him cry. We’d all have to wait until he could do it without emotion.”

The son of Lebanese immigrants, Casey grew up in Detroit and became a DJ for Armed Forces Radio during the Korean War. His long career included work in radio, acting and voice-overs, but he’s best remembered as the host of the national pop music countdown American Top 40 from 1970 to 1988. “Growing up, he wanted to be a baseball player,” says Kerri. “He went from being Casey at the bat to Casey at the mic.”