Court Rules to Suspend Infusions for Voice Icon Casey Kasem

A judge in Los Angeles, CA has ruled to allow Casey Kasem's daughter, Karri Kasem, the authority to suspend infusions of water, food, and medications for her ailing father. In a reversal of the court's previous decision, the judge ruled in accordance with a power of attorney statement which was signed by Kasem in 2007, declaring that he did not want to be kept alive,"any form of life sustaining procedures, including nutrition and hydration" if it "would result in a mere biological existence, devoid of cognitive function, with no reasonable hope of normal functioning."

The judge's decision was based on the recommendations of Kasem's doctor and reviews of his medical records, which indicate that the infusions are not helpful to Kasem's continued health and may be doing him harm. While originally diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Kasem's diagnosis was later changed to Lewy body dementia, which is incurable and can lead to progressive dementia, fluctuating cognition, hallucinations, and a variety of other symptoms.

While we all remember Casey Kasem in part for voicing Teletraan I, Cliffjumper, and Bluestreak in the G1 series, he was perhaps most famous for his hosting of America's Top 40 from July 1970 to August 1988, and again from March 1998 to January 2004. In addition, Kasem was the voice of Shaggy in many iterations of Scooby Doo. He also did voice work in many other movies and TV shows, including Ghostbusters, Hawaii Five-O, Sesame Street, Superfriends: The Legendary Super Powers Show.