MUMBAI: The voice which kept Americans and audiences around the world - including India - informed about the top 40 songs in the US will be heard no more live. Voice-over artiste and the creator-host of the American Top 40 (AT 40) countdown, Casey Kasem, breathed his last at the age of 82 years on Father's Day as his children took him off life support.

The radio legend had been suffering from Lewy disease, an illness which has symptoms similar to that of Parkinson's like dementia. In October 2013, it was reported that he was suffering from the last stages of the disease and he lost his voice immediately after. Expecting no hope of recovery, Kasem had signed a claim for euthanasia, wishing not to be held up artificially on life support.

A political activist and a vegan, Kasem was always known to have stood his ground, believing in strong principles. He relentlessly supported and fought for the causes of Lebanese-American and Arab-American, coming from a Lebanese ancestry.

The radio-personality-turned-celebrity had three children, one of whom, Kerri Kasem, reported the news of her father's demise via social media, "Early this Father's Day morning, our dad Casey Kasem passed away surrounded by family and friends. Even though we know he is in a better place and no longer suffering, we are heartbroken. Thank you for all your love, support and prayers. The world will miss Casey Kasem, an incredible talent and humanitarian; we will miss our Dad - With love, Kerri, Mike and Julie."

#RIPCaseyKasem immediately became a trending topic on Twitter with people from across the globe offering their sympathies.

Current radio host of AT40 and global star, Ryan Seacrest expressed his condolences, "It's a sad day for the broadcasting community and for radio listeners around the world."

Seacrest said, "When I was a kid, I would listen to Casey Kasem's AT40 show every weekend, and dream about someday becoming a radio DJ… Casey had a distinctive friendly on-air voice, and he was just as affable and nice if you had the privilege to be in his company. He'll be greatly missed by all of us."

The industry in India also wished to share their pain on the deceased celebrity's demise. 94.3 Radio One India said in a statement, "RIP Casey Kasem. Respect from everyone in the Radio industry in India. We thank you for your endearing voice and spirit that founded the greatest radio countdown show 'American top 40', and for making us laugh as the voice of 'Shaggy in Scooby Doo'. Your voice lives on, on the airwaves…"

The network has been broadcasting the AT40 show of Ryan Seacrest every weekend for four hours with a few re-runs of Kasem's shows for almost two years now, since the station turned completely English.

Casey Kasem was the creator of one of the most popular radio shows in the 1970's ‘America's Top 40', which he hosted from 1988 to 2004 passing on the baton to Ryan Seacrest, its current host. In between for a few months, when he was already an established household name, he hosted ‘Casey's Top 40'. He finally put away his mike and headphones, and stopped going to radio studios in 2009.

Kasem left his mark on the world of television too: through the years he lent his voice to cartoon characters like ‘Shaggy' of ‘Scooby Doo', ‘Mark' of 'Battle of The Planets' and a number of characters from the ‘Transformers' series, including many voices for ‘Sesame Street' and other commercials.

America's Top 40's official Twitter account posted, "There would be no @AmericanTop40 without Casey Kasem. Today we lost a legend who meant so much to music and radio; #RIPCaseyKasem"

Vishal Dadlani, music director and singer said, "RIP Casey Kasem. My childhood was spent waiting for and listening to cassette-tapes of your top-40 charts. Thanks for the good times!"A man who meant a lot to both music and radio was respected and admired by everyone in the industry. RJ Malishka of RED FM while remembering the radio veteran said, "He was very easy on the ear, very pleasant to listen to; just the right amount of entertaining radio."

In 1981, Kasem was granted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and in 1992, he was entered into the National Radio Hall of Fame. He was also given the Radio Icon award at the Radio Music Awards in 2003.

"Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars" is how Kasem often signed off on AT40 every weekend.

We, at Radioandmusic.com will be seeking him amongst the zillions of twinkling objects in the dark skies, as we tune in to the next radiocast of his recorded show on Radio One. For he spent a full life reaching for the stars himself, striving for excellence. An entertainer, a music knowledge provider par excellence. He will be sorely missed, though he will live on through his recordings.

RIP Casey Kasem