_p.png)
Beloved radio icon and broadcasting legend Casey Kasem died this morning at a California hospital, he was 82 years old. Casey had been plagued by a serious of medical issues in recent years, most notably dementia and a huge fight arose between his wife Jean and his children over visitation rights and their inability to see their father in his final days. Casey got his start being in a disc jockey in Flint, MI in 1952 with an announcer stint on the Armed Radio Forces network, before moving on to radio stations across the country in California, Ohio, and New York before launching his legendary American Top 40 show on July 4, 1970. He hosted that show until 1988 before it was revived a decade later in 1998 and ran until 2004, when Ryan Seacrest took over hosting duties. After AT40 ended, Casey continued to dabble in radio where he hosted American Top 20 and American Top 10 until he officially retired in 2009, almost 39 years to the date when he started his famous countdown show. He was a true pioneer and inspiration for anyone aspiring to get their feet wet in the radio business and he helped engineer the basis for countdown shows that continue to be extant today.