Carl Kasell (1934–2018)

[LoveNDino]

RIP....

[+ poolboy48220]

the NPR announcer? no.... :-( Now I'll never get his voice on my voice mail

[Moondance]

HUFFINGTON POST 04/17/2018 04:34 pm ET

Carl Kasell, Iconic NPR Newscaster Whose Voice Defined The Organization, Dead At 84

The famed radio man died from complications from Alzheimer’s disease.

 

Kasell began practicing his newscaster voice as a child and got his first on-air job at 16. He went on to anchor NPR's newscasts for more than 30 years and later served as judge and scorekeeper for the news quiz show Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!

 

Carl Kasell, whose iconic voice delivered NPR news broadcasts to generations of listeners, died on Tuesday in Potomac, Maryland. He was 84 years old.

 

The radio man, who most recently delighted audiences while he served as the beloved scorekeeper on NPR’s quiz show “Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me!” died from complications from Alzheimer’s disease, according to an obituary published by NPR.

 

The radio man’s voice has gone beyond NPR’s airwaves, as the quiz show offered personalized voicemail recordings as prizes for winners who called into to the show. NPR reported Kasell recorded more than 2,000 personalized voicemails during his time on the show.

 

Kasell joined NPR in 1975 first as a part-time employee, eventually rising in the ranks to become the trusted voice bringing listeners daily news during the radio broadcaster’s program, “Morning Edition.” He broadcast for the program for over three decades.

[+ poolboy48220]

If he had Alzheimer's it must have come on quickly. He didn't retire that long ago, and always seemed sharp on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.

[rvwnsd]

If he had Alzheimer's it must have come on quickly. He didn't retire that long ago, and always seemed sharp on Wait Wait Don't Tell Me.

He retired from the show in May 2014 and I am going to guess that's when the symptoms began manifesting themselves.

 

He was one of my favorite NPR newspeople. I was very sad when he stopped doing the news on Morning Edition.

[+ quoththeraven]

I absolutely loved Carl Kassell, especially on Wait Wait. He'll be missed.

[Kippy]

He was the voice I started my mornings with for many years! I think he could have announced the end of the world and I wouldn't have panicked! These lifelong legends always inspire me and it is truly sad to see them go.

 

Kipp

[rvwnsd]

He was the voice I started my mornings with for many years! I think he could have announced the end of the world and I wouldn't have panicked! These lifelong legends always inspire me and it is truly sad to see them go.

 

Kipp

So true. I was sad when he retired from Morning Edition. While I was not a huge Bob Edwards fan, Carl Kassel made Morning Edition.

[body2body]

His was the voice that I awakened to every morning for three decades. Such sad news.

[+ quoththeraven]

So true. I was sad when he retired from Morning Edition. While I was not a huge Bob Edwards fan, Carl Kassel made Morning Edition.

I was a Bob Edwards fan and dislike Steve Inskeep both as an announcer and reporter, so the switch wasn't an improvement.

[+ quoththeraven]

He was the voice I started my mornings with for many years! I think he could have announced the end of the world and I wouldn't have panicked! These lifelong legends always inspire me and it is truly sad to see them go.

 

Kipp

Wait, you listen to NPR, Kippy? I thought NPR was the devil as far as people of your political persuasion are concerned.

[Kippy]

Raven, I'm quite the liberal and lean to the conservative approach only in so far as it is practical and radical. The iconoclasm of Trump et al provides the fresh air and blood to tear down those age old mothbolled institutions. It's a bit like Vatican II rattling the cage of the Church in the 60's--much of the agrandized structure and political correctness needed to be swept away. Just like the old Democat/Repulican ethos in America, much of it is no longer necessary and needs to go.

 

Kipp