Casey Kasem was an American disc jockey, music historian, radio personality, and screen and voice actor of Lebanese Druze decent. He is best known as the host of the American Top 40, and for providing the voice of Shaggy Rogers from 1969–1997 and then again from 2002-2009. He is also known for doing the voice of Robin the Boy Wonder, Alexander from Josie and the Pussycats, Mark from Battle of the Planets (co-starring Keye Luke, Alan Young and Janet Waldo), Peter Cottontail from Here Comes Peter Cottontail (also starring Vincent Price), and Cliffjumper from the original Transformers series. His on-screen credits include The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Saved by the Bell (starring Mario Lopez), and a cameo in 1984's Ghostbusters.
Around 1972-1974 Kasem decided to stop eating meat[1]. In 1995, Kasem, by then a vegan, objected to reprising his role of Shaggy in a Burger King commercial, not only turning down the offer, but leaving the role entirely when the producers wouldn't make the character into a vegan. Until he returned to the role he was replaced by Billy West and Scott Innes. In 2002, he returned when it was decided that Shaggy would become a vegetarian; subtle references can be found in What's New, Scooby-Doo?
He continued until his retirement in 2009. He was succeeded by Matthew Lillard, who played Shaggy in the live-actiontheatrical films. His retirement also brought an end to his radio career on July 4 of the same year.
In October 2013, he was revealed to have Parkinson's disease (which he had been diagnosed with in 2007), until it was discovered he had Lewy body dementia, which has similar identifying symptoms; this sadly robbed him for his speech and his talent. In May 2014, a court order had been made to investigate the whereabouts of Kasem after he had been removed from his nursing home in Santa Monica, California and it had been announced he was "no longer in the United States". He had been found a little while later in the state of Washington. By the next month, he passed away on June 15, 2014, at the age of 82.
This marks the first TV series to acknowledge which character an actor has played, in this case, Kasem as Shaggy. He and Don Messick were the only two actors to reprise the roles they originated.
As Kasem and Frank Welker are the only two to reprise the roles they originated, they are included in the opening credits. Therefore, any additional roles are uncredited.
Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! is the first Scooby-Doo animated production not to feature any character voiced by Kasem.
As a tribute to Kasem, the ship in the Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! episode All Paws on Deck was christened the S.S. Casey.
Aside from his absence from the franchise from 1997-2003, he is the second longest running voice actor in the franchise behind Frank Welker.
"The Official BBC Children in Need Medley" came the same year he had retired from the voice of Shaggy. He only agreed to do the role if Shaggy was presented as a vegan and not credited, although there was very little reference to his vegetarianism and nobody involved in the song is credited, anyway. Producer Peter Kay was also told to give up trying to get Kasem, but found it more rewarding with him.
In the Velma episode Marching Band Sleepover, Piotr Michael impersonates Kasem, narrating a guided tour of the Crystal Cove Mine Experience.