Monday, June 16, 2014

ululate!

The voice of my childhood, Casey Kasem, radio announcer extraordinaire, has died at the age of 82. I associate Kasem's distinctive voice—his smooth, memorable rhythm and intonation—with car interiors, because that's when I always heard him: he was forever doing some sort of Top-40 countdown or other while I was riding in or driving a car. I was sad to learn that, toward the end of his life, Kasem lost his voice because of a combination of Parkinson's disease and dementia. I can only hope that the latter condition, which must have stripped him of his cognitive faculties, eased his transition from this world to the next.

RIP, Mr. Kasem. Belated thanks for many, many years of entertainment.


_