Kasem's family still at odds as judge says host must be fed, hydrated

A judge ruled Monday that radio icon Casey Kasem, who remains in hospice care, be fed and hydrated and that a court-appointed attorney evaluate the health of the ailing host, siding with Kasem's wife rather than her stepdaughter, who was named temporary conservator.

Superior Court Judge Daniel S. Murphy said that Kasem, who suffers from Lewy body dementia, should continue to be medicated at the discretion of his doctors, according to court documents obtained by The Times, despite his daughter, Kerri Kasem, moving to implement end-of-life measures.

Kerri Kasem and her father's doctors in Washington had stopped hydration, nutrition and some medications after they determined that the processes became too painful for the 82-year-old, her attorney Troy Martin said in court.

Martin told The Times that restoring hydration and nutrition would cause the former "Scooby Doo" voice star "a great amount of pain."

The judge set another hearing for Friday to receive an update on Kasem's health after the court-appointed attorney goes to Washington to get a status update on Kasem's condition and speak with the former "American Top 40" host and his doctors.

But a rep for his daughter, who was granted the temporary conservatorship on May 13, worried that the decision may be for naught and believed that Jean Kasem, Kasem's wife of 34 years who has been feuding with her stepchildren over her husband's care, was "distracting" the family from spending what may be their last moments with their father.

The point is, by Friday, will he even make it?" Kerri Kasem spokesman Danny Deraney told The Times. "He's receiving hospice care now. He can't eat anything, his body rejects it. He's in stable condition and there's nothing more that they can do."

Jean Kasem, who had previously been held in contempt of court for not cooperating with the family, supported the judge's decision.

"Only God knows when to take someone," Jean Kasem said, according to the Associated Press.

Jean Kasem, who made headlines last week for hurling raw meat at her stepdaughter, was in the Los Angeles court on Monday and reportedly broke down in the corridor, falling to her knees as she repeatedly said, "Please don't let them kill my husband," NBC News reported.

Jean Kasem’s attorney Steve Haney said that his client "was very upset" and she asked people in the hallway to pray with her to "please save my husband's life."

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Kasem's family still at odds as judge says host must be fed, hydrated

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