Casey Kasem

Birth:  Apr. 27, 1932 Detroit Wayne County Michigan, USA Death:  Jun. 15, 2014 Gig Harbor Pierce County Washington, USA American Radio Personality, Actor, Producer. Born Kemal Amin Kasem, he grew up in a Lebanese-American household in Detroit and made his radio debut while in high school and studied radio broadcasting while at Wayne State University where he became involved in radio acting. In 1952, he was drafted into the U.S. Army where he was a successful announcer and disc jockey for the Armed Forces Radio Network. After returning from Korea, he spent most of the next two decades working his way up to national prominence as a radio announcer. In 1970, he contacted a Hollywood radio producer and proposed a countdown radio show loosely based on the 1940s and 50s hit show 'Your Hit Parade'. The result was 'American Top 40' which debuted on July 4, 1970 on 7 radio sations. The show, which he closed with "Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars", quickly became one of the most popular syndicated radio shows in the country and then around the world. By 1986, the show was featured on more than 1,000 radio stations in 50 countries around the world as well as Armed Forces Radio and the Voice of America. 'American Top 40' spawned a television spin-off, 'America's Top 10', that ran from 1980 through 1990 and featured Kasem counting down the week's top 10 hits and playing music videos. As a voice-over actor, his best-known work has been in the role of Shaggy in various incarnations of the 'Scooby-Doo' show. He has also appeared in a wide range of other shows including 'The Adventures of Batman' and 'Josie and the Pussycats'. In 2004, he retired from hosting American Top 40, but did not resign completely from radio countdowns. He continued to produce 'American Top 20' and 'American Top 10'. In 1981, the Hollywood Walk of Fame gave him a star and in 1992, he was the youngest person inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. In 1995, he was inducted in to the National Broadcaster's Hall of Fame. Billboard magazine gave Kasem its first-ever Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997 and he was presented the National Association of Recording Merchandisers Presidential Award for Sustained Executive Achievement in 2001.    Burial: Oslo Western Civil Cemetery Oslo Oslo kommune Oslo fylke, Norway

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