Kerri Kasem previews iHeartRadio Music Awards: ‘Super excited’
Radio host Kerri Kasem, daughter of Casey Kasem, on what she’s looking forward to at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards.
Casey Kasem’s daughter Kerri Kasem still wants to bring his body back to Los Angeles.
The internationally famous radio host known as “King of the Top 40 Countdown,” died in 2014 at age 82. The star suffered a lengthy battle with Lewy body dementia.
His widow, actress Jean Kasem, had his body moved to Oslo, Norway, for burial. Other relatives and friends claimed at the time that Casey had wished to be buried in the Forest Lawn cemetery in Los Angeles.
CASEY KASEM’S CHILDREN, WIDOW SETTLE LAWSUITS OVER RADIO HOST’S DEATH
Kerri is the founder of Kasem Cares, a nonprofit organization that advocates against elder abuse and isolation. Its “Visitation Bill,” which aims to provide “an open path for family members to ask the court to rule on visitation” of a loved one, has been passed in 12 states. Its site noted that nine other states have adopted a version of the bill.
Kerri Kasem, the daughter of late radio personality Casey Kasem, is the founder of Kasem Cares, a nonprofit organization that advocates against elder abuse and isolation. (Michael Tullberg/Getty Images)
When asked if there were plans to get Casey back to the U.S., Kerri told Fox News Digital, “Eventually.”
“I can’t say there are plans right now, [but] it will happen,” she said. “I just can’t tell you.”
“I can’t say there are plans right now, [but] it will happen.”
Kerri, also a radio host, is adamant that the beloved patriarch belongs in the city he called home. And the feeling she has about his current resting place is “twofold.”
Casey Kasem is pictured here in March 1998 while taping his long-running radio show in Los Angeles. (Kim Kulish/Corbis via Getty Images)
“[Norway] is probably one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen,” Kerri explained. “It’s a country that is stunning, but it’s not where my dad wanted to be… His final wish was to be buried in California, where he had been living for 58 years.”
“I guess there’s this beauty with a bit of anger,” the 52-year-old added.
A spokesperson for Jean, 70, and her attorney, didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
Casey Kasem poses with his wife Jean Kasem and the Scooby-Doo character. (Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage/Getty Images)
For the first time since the patriarch’s passing, Kerri told Fox News Digital she visited his grave in Oslo.
“When I was walking towards his grave, I started to get a little shaky and a little emotional,” she recalled. “When I got there, I just had a sense of peace come over me. He’s not there — he’s with me. And then I felt a little upset about the fact that he’s buried in a place he didn’t want to be. Other people would like to pay their respects… family members and fans.”
“I was upset,” Kerri shared. “But it was also accompanied by a feeling of, ‘We’ll get him back. We’ll get him buried where he wanted to be at Forest Lawn in California.’”
An aerial view of Forest Lawn Memorial Park at sunrise in Los Angeles. (David McNew/Getty Images)
In 2019, family members of Casey settled dueling lawsuits alleging that he was badly mistreated before his death.
The two sides filed a joint request in the Los Angeles Superior Court to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit by three of Casey’s children and his brother against Casey’s widow, which claimed her neglect and physical abuse led to his death, as well as a countersuit making similar claims against the plaintiffs that were filed by his widow and another daughter.
The first lawsuit was a lingering chapter in a series of heated and often public fights between Casey’s children and his second wife. It accused Jean, who was married to Casey for 34 years, of elder abuse and of inflicting emotional distress on his children by restricting their access to him before his death.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Jean Kasem is seen here making a court-ordered appearance regarding an ongoing dispute with stepdaughter Kerri Kasem in 2014. The court ruled that Kerri would be granted visitation rights and could make arrangements for a doctor to examine her father. (Suzi Pratt/Getty Images)
Jean, who appeared in “Cheers” and “Ghostbusters,” denied all the allegations. She countersued and alleged that Casey’s children were motivated by greed after he cut them off financially in 2012. Jean also alleged that they brought emotional distress not only to her but to the ailing patriarch. All the claims were denied by the family.
The two sides fought bitterly over access to Casey and control of his medical care before he died. Police and prosecutors in California and Washington, where he passed away, investigated Casey’s treatment and death. They found no evidence of criminal wrongdoing.
In 2019, Jean told Fox News Digital in a lengthy statement that Kerri’s quest to honor her father was far from noble.
Kerri Kasem is seen issuing a statement to the media following her victory at a hearing at Kitsap County Courthouse in Port Orchard, Washington, on May 30, 2014. (Suzi Pratt/Getty Images)
“Casey and I were lovingly married for 34 years,” she wrote in a statement. “We have a daughter named Liberty. Casey’s adult children Kerri, Julie and Mike, from a prior marriage… grew up with their mother and have a deep-seated hatred towards me, who only financially supported them throughout their lives. When Kerri, Julie and Mike became involved with Scientology, Casey and I financially cut them off. They then attempted to frame me with a vicious character assassination campaign, seeking media attention to disseminate a false narrative and extort money from me.”
Liberty Jean Kasem, daughter of Casey and Jean Kasem, is seen issuing a statement in front of the media following a court hearing at Kitsap County Courthouse in Port Orchard, Washington, on May 30, 2014. (Suzi Pratt/Getty Images)
“Kerri and Julie also weaponized the Los Angeles Adult Protective Services and Police against me,” Jean alleged. “Both L.A. APS and LAPD found their allegations to be completely false. When the Kasem sisters filed their first Guardianship attempt of Casey in Los Angeles on October 7, 2013, their first request was to cease all life-sustaining measures for Casey, based on a suspect Durable Power of Attorney procured with undue influence in a UPS store in 2007, which they deceptively concealed for six years.”
Casey Kasem married Jean Kasem in 1980. They remained together until his death in 2014. (Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
“The court found that I had the proper Advance Care Directive for my husband and that Casey was receiving ‘excellent care’ in the privacy of our family home,” she continued. “The first Guardianship attempt of Casey was ‘denied with prejudice’ and closed on January 14, 2014. The Kasem sisters filed a second Guardianship of Casey in Los Angeles on May 7, 2014. With the same systematic pattern of abuse, the Kasem sisters weaponized the Washington State Adult Protective Services and Sheriff’s Office against me, who also found the allegations to be completely false.
LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Casey Kasem, wife Jean Kasem, daughter Kerri Kasem, son Michael Kasem and daughter Julie Kasem attend the Lebanon-Syrian American Society of Greater Los Angeles Man of the Year Awards at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on Jan. 25, 1985. (Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
“The Kasem sisters then chased Casey, me and Liberty to Washington State, where they tricked a local judge into taking Casey to a hospital for a supposed ‘independent medical evaluation.’ On June 1, 2014, once the Kasem sisters had Casey entrapped and chemically restrained, they had Liberty and me banned from the hospital, while they had already begun the process to terminate Casey’s life. I fought valiantly to save my husband from the homicidal Guardianship scheme. Casey was pronounced dead in Washington State on June 15, 2014.
From left: Mike Casem, Kerri Casem, Kasey Casem and Julie Kasem. (KMazur/WireImage/Getty Images)
“Appearing anything but grief-stricken, the Kasem sisters’ monetary motive became clear when they immediately filed a claim for a $2,100,000 life insurance policy, insuring Casey’s life. Every single allegation made by the co-conspirators against me was proven to be completely false. To this day, Liberty and I continue to grieve the loss of Casey. Our faith in God helps us through it, believing that the co-conspirators will soon be brought to justice.”
At the time when Jean released her statement, Kerri immediately denied the allegations and said “every single year Jean Kasem’s story changes.”
Previous reports claimed that Jean cited her Norwegian heritage as the reason for choosing to bury her late husband in Oslo. Kerri claimed that Jean isn’t Norwegian.
Casey Kasem and his family arrive at the Golden Dads Awards ceremony at the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles on June 15, 2005. (Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)
Following a seemingly never-ending legal battle and an ongoing bitter family feud, Kerri said it was important for her to be with her father again.
“I wanted to be there,” she said. “It’s the 10th anniversary, and I just wanted to go.”
Kerri claimed that her father was resting in an unmarked grave before a Norwegian resident from Texas placed a small plaque in honor of the star. Kerri claimed that another stranger, who is now a friend, helped her locate Casey’s final resting place.
From left: Kerri Kasem, Casey Kasem and Julie Kasem attend the 2003 Radio Music Awards at the Aladdin Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Oct. 27, 2003. (Carlo Allegri/Getty Images)
“She lost her father the same month I lost mine,” Kerri explained. “So she went looking for his grave… and she found it. She’s the one who sent me pictures of his grave. She puts little American flags on it… she’s made it beautiful.”
“It’s very sweet, but… it’s not where my dad belongs,” said Kerri. “… He will be buried back in this country. It just may take a little time.”
Today, Kerri is determined to turn pain into purpose. She described how her father passed away on June 15 — World Elder Abuse Awareness Day. It was also Father’s Day that year.
Kerri Kasem wants to raise awareness regarding elder abuse and isolation impacting families across America. (Valerie Macon/Getty Images)
“I thought it was such a wonderful sign from my father, for all of us,” said Kerri. “It was a sign for me to keep going, to keep fighting.”
WATCH: KERRI KASEM PREVIEWS IHEARTRADIO MUSIC AWARDS: SUPER EXCITED
“That’s why I fight so hard to get bills passed state by state,” she shared. “It allows families and loved ones to see mom and dad. It’s sickening what is done to families… And having loved ones around you, especially when you have dementia, is the most important thing… It’s not about taking them out of their home, putting them in a subpar facility… where they do not see their kids or loved ones… putting them on medication and then isolating them until they die. The fact that this is happening in the United States of America is disgusting. And this happens every day.”
Disc jockey, TV personality and actor Casey Kasem hosts the KTLA music show “Shebang!” circa 1965 in Los Angeles. (Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
Kerri can still vividly recall the moment she realized her father’s health had started to deteriorate.
“He just kept forgetting things — a lot,” Kerri recalled. “I remember talking to my brother and sister saying, ‘I think something is going on with dad.’ Then he got diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. He was forgetting a lot and hallucinating.”
“He never forgot us though,” she insisted. “He knew exactly who we were all the time… He knew who we were up until the day he died.”
LEGENDARY RADIO BROADCASTER CASEY KASEM DEAD AT 82
Casey Kasem is seen here announcing on his Top 40 radio show. (Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Kerri said she still receives letters from people in similar family disputes over their parents.
“I can’t ignore them,” she said. “They need somebody to listen to them, to understand what is going on. And everyone who works for [my] organization has gone through this.”
And for Kerri, it’s all about keeping her father’s legacy alive.
Kerri Kasem wants to keep her late father’s legacy alive. (Chris Polk/Getty Images)
“I know my father is with me,” she said. “There was a time after he died… the lights in my house would suddenly flicker. Things would happen. And I just knew it was him. He was with me.”
“I don’t believe he’s gone,” Kerri reflected. “That gives me comfort. My beliefs give me comfort.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.