WTF?

Can the Casey Kasem Story Get Any Weirder? Why, Yes. Yes It Can.

If Casey Kasem believed in an afterlife, he certainly didn’t expect this.

To recap, Casey died in a hospital in Gig Harbor, Washington, back on June 15.  As he suffered from a variety of debilitating conditions, his family fought over his custody, care and, presumably, Casey’s vast fortune.

On one side were his children from his first marriage. On the other, his 60 year-old wife (and children’s stepmother), Jean. The battle was very public, very messy and very undignified., involving everything from shouting scripture to throwing raw meat.  But when Casey died, everyone hoped that any issues could be settled.

Nope.  No only is the fighting and litigation continuing, Casey has yet to be buried.  His body is currently sitting in a morgue in Montreal.

Wait.  Montreal?  How did a Hollywood media person end up in a drawer in Montreal?  Casey had no connection to Canada, let alone Montreal.  Those who knew him say that he wanted to be buried in Southern California. WTF?

Casey’s whereabouts were determined by Logan Clarke, a private investigator hired by Kerri Kasem (Casey’s daughter) when that side of the family realized that Casey’s body had gone missing from a mortuary in Seattle. Logan determined that the body ended up in Montreal, the hometown of John Paul Gressy, a 46 year-old Canadian who had been living in Jean Kasem’s Malibu condo for the last while.  There’s some evidence of the two of them being romantically involved, too.

Hang on.  Weren’t Jean and Casey still married when he died.  Why, yes, they were.  But there’s a story that Jean had been telling Casey they’d been divorced for two years. A lie, of course.

Like I said, the story is getting weirder.

So who is Gressy?  Precious little is known at the moment other than he’s a businessman who tried to set up a denim company called Dungarees USA back in 2002.  He may be “the younger gentleman that has been staying at the Malibu house and driving Mr. Kasem’s car” mentioned in a May 7 statement to the court. 

If you want to stay on top of the story, the New York Daily News is doing a great job.

 

 

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39660 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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