Missing US radio legend has son here worried sick

Missing US radio legend has son here worried sick

Local DJ Mike Kasem is worried sick.

His father, US radio legend Casey Kasem, has been missing since May 6.

The older Mr Kasem suffers from Parkinson's disease and was being looked after at a hospital in Santa Monica, California, in the United States.

Casey, 82, is said to be worth US$80 million (S$100 million).

According to media reports, the children of Casey's first wife and his present wife, Jean, have been locked in a battle over access to the former star of American Top 40.

Mike's siblings in the US saw their father at the hospital on May 6, but then he went missing.

The Los Angeles Superior Court then ordered a court investigator to find him.

Jean was supposed to attend a court session on Monday, but failed to do so.

Mike told The New Paper that he last saw his father in December, when he went home to the US for the holiday season.

Mike, 40, said he is worried over his father's poor health and safety.

He said that when he visited his father last year, his father could recognise him and speak short phrases.

Mike is one of three children his father had with his first wife, Linda Myers.

"I was allowed to see him for only 20 minutes each time for five days, and each time with a security guard present, who was writing down every word we said," he said, referring to his stepmother's rules.

Casey has one daughter with her.

Mike claimed that he and his two sisters were so desperate for time with their sickly father that they had signed a "deal" with Jean previously.

The deal allowed them varying amounts of time with their father.

"She used to put him in a car and send him to my sister's place to visit, but slowly...she began not to answer calls, restrict visiting, and so on," he said.

This article by The New Paper was published in MyPaper, a free, bilingual newspaper published by Singapore Press Holdings.

Get The New Paper for more stories.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.