Casey Kasem Hangs Up His Headphones

Casey Kasem counted down the week's hit songs on his radio show this weekend, then quietly dropped a bomb: He's through, effective immediately. Kasem, 77, introduced the countdown format, peppering his shows—"American Top 40," now hosted by Ryan Seacrest, was his signature achievement—with factoids, trivia, and famously sappy long-distance dedications. He may write a memoir, his wife, the actress Jeannie Kasem, tells ABC News.

"Charts are changing, stations are changing, the networks are changing, radio itself is changing, and I think, you know, the pendulum swings back and forth," says Jeannie Kasem. "You just have to be willing to jump ship and try something new."
(More Casey Kasem stories.)