Casey Kasem's family feud: Wife won't let kids, friends see him?

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Casey Kasem is 81 years old and in deteriorating health. His kids haven't seen him for months, his brother hasn't seen him for a year, and his friends haven't seen him for even longer. They all say Kasem's wife, Jean, is the reason why.

On Tuesday, they held a protest at the Kasem estate in Holmby Hills and shot their own footage to get the word out.

Kerri Kasem, one of the radio legend's three children from his first marriage, wants to see her ailing father, and she's not alone. She says her father's wife won't answer their phone calls and tells them to go away when they show up at her door.

"He can't really speak, but he knows we're there. And last time we saw him, he could shuffle a little bit. He had a hard, very hard, time walking. He was just deteriorating due to Parkinson's disease," Kerri Kasem said.

Mouner Kasem says he wants to see his brother.

"I've got a feeling I might not see him again, and that's why I'm here," he said.

Casey's children and his brother say they don't have a relationship with Jean Kasem, who played "Loretta Tortelli" on TV's "Cheers" and on her own spin-off series.

Casey's longtime friends are also concerned with what's become a mysterious situation. One of their protest signs said, "Casey, we are your voice now."

"We fear that he's been isolated and neglected, and so that's why we stand here today," said Gonzalo Venecia, Casey's former personal assistant for 24 years.

Chuck Olsen, Casey's friend for 63 years, says no one has been in touch with his dear friend since April.

"He and I went to school together. We were actors on 'The Lone Ranger' on the radio together," said Olsen.

Both Kerri Kasem and her uncle say this is not about money.

"We don't want to see him go and not say goodbye and not love him and not support him. We don't know how long he has," she said.

Eyewitness News left a message for Jean Kasem on Tuesday, but we have not heard back from her yet.

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