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American radio and television legend Casey Kasem died on Sunday (June 15) at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Gig Harbor, Washington. He was 82.

Kasem was best known as the host of the “American Top 40” radio show which saw him count down the nation’s hits for nearly 35 years.

His family confirmed the sad news with the following Facebook message:

Early this Father’s Day morning, our dad Casey Kasem passed away surrounded by family and friends. Even though we know he is in a better place and no longer suffering, we are heartbroken. Thank you for all your love, support and prayers. The world will miss Casey Kasem, an incredible talent and humanitarian; we will miss our Dad.

With love, Kerri, Mike and Julie.

Kasem was born Kemal Amin Kasem on April 27, 1932, to Lebanese Druze immigrant parents. He broke into showbiz in the mid-1950s as a disc jockey, having worked for Armed Forces Radio Korea while in the army. He also found work as an actor in a number of low budget movies in the 1960s, before landing the role of Shaggy in the Scooby-Doo cartoon, which he would voice from 1969 to 2010.

“American Top 40” was created by Kasem in 1970 and and he remained on the show until 1988, before leaving to create his own “Casey’s Top 40” show. He also hosted the television spin-off show “America’s Top 10” from 1980 to 1991, which introduced him to a UK audience as it aired in a number of ITV regions from 1987.

“American Top 40” was cancelled in 1995 as it couldn’t compete with the ratings of “Casey’s Top 40”, but Kasem acquired the rights for his old show in 1998 and reinstated it. He would remain with the show until handing hosting duties over to Ryan Seacrest in 2004, but would go on to host “American Top 20” and “American Top 10” before finally giving up presenting for good in 2009.

Kasem received many awards and honours throughout his long career, including a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1981, induction into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame and the National Radio Hall of Fame in 1985 and 1992, respectively, and the Radio Icon award at the Radio Music Awards in 2003.

Kasem’s final years were unfortunately plagued with ill health as he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body dementia. In recent months, his daughters and second wife were involved in a legal dispute over the care he was receiving.

Casey Kasem was a charismatic presence on radio and television, with an infectious enthusiasm for pop music and pop music trivia. He will be missed.