# Carl Kasell has died **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 17, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598 "2018-04-17T20:06:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/1 "2018-04-17T20:06:11Z")
I’m bummed. > **[NPR Newscaster Carl Kasell Dies At 84, After A Lifelong Career On-Air](https://www.npr.org/2018/04/17/528656453/npr-newscaster-carl-kasell-dies-at-84-after-a-lifelong-career-on-air?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20180417)** > > Kasell brought unflappable authority to the news, but he also had a lively sense of humor, revealed late in his career when he became the judge and scorekeeper for Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/2 "2018-04-17T20:11:25Z")
Aww man… There goes my chance to get his voice on my answering machine. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/3 "2018-04-17T20:46:53Z")
I wondered if that was why they changed the prize on WWDTM to “anyone on this show’s voice”. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/4 "2018-04-17T20:56:28Z")
Oh no!! ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/5 "2018-04-17T21:00:17Z")
this list various honors he received. Andy Griffith was a high school teacher for Carl. [http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article209144054.html](http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article209144054.html) ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/6 "2018-04-17T21:43:01Z")
Sad news. I hope he didn’t feel miffed by the aforementioned ‘any voice’ change on _Wait Wait_. (Possibly he’d been in poor health for a while and that’s why the change was made.) ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/7 "2018-04-17T21:47:34Z")
I’ll have to listen to Wait Wait this weekend for the tribute… ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/8 "2018-04-17T23:44:35Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I wondered if that was why they changed the prize on WWDTM to “anyone on this show’s voice”. ☹ I heard that the other day. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/9 "2018-04-18T01:28:54Z")
Bummer. We went to a WWDTM taping when he was still on the show, and he was amazing. What a voice! ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/10 "2018-04-18T02:55:20Z")
By the way, at the end of the article **Bayard** linked to, there are a handful of actual voice mail greetings he recorded for WWDTM winners. The guy really had quite a sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/11 "2018-04-18T04:31:46Z")
Damn. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/12 "2018-04-18T06:23:26Z")
And before that, he was the voice of “Morning Edition”. RIP, Carl. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/13 "2018-04-18T07:17:15Z")
What really surprised me was the statement in the article that he died from “complications from Alzheimer’s disease.” I have been around a few Alzheimer’s patients (including my Mother) and they could not have maintained a broadcast routine like Carl had within a week or two of his death. It doesn’t make sense to me, but I guess every Alzheimer’s patient’s experience is unique. He was a real asset to WWDTM and he will be missed. I hope the show does an appropriate send-off. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/14 "2018-04-18T11:12:18Z")
> [@Lord\_Mondegreen](#): > > What really surprised me was the statement in the article that he died from “complications from Alzheimer’s disease.” > > I have been around a few Alzheimer’s patients (including my Mother) and they could not have maintained a broadcast routine like Carl had within a week or two of his death. It doesn’t make sense to me, but I guess every Alzheimer’s patient’s experience is unique. > > He was a real asset to WWDTM and he will be missed. I hope the show does an appropriate send-off. I’m not sure what you mean. Carl retired from newscasting in 2009 and from WWDTM in 2014. I don’t believe he was working in the last week or two. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/15 "2018-04-18T11:28:46Z")
> [@Lord\_Mondegreen](#): > > What really surprised me was the statement in the article that he died from “complications from Alzheimer’s disease.” > > I have been around a few Alzheimer’s patients (including my Mother) and they could not have maintained a broadcast routine like Carl had within a week or two of his death. It doesn’t make sense to me, but I guess every Alzheimer’s patient’s experience is unique. > > He was a real asset to WWDTM and he will be missed. I hope the show does an appropriate send-off. Carl Kassel left Wait, Wait in 2014. He continued to do the “voice prize” for a while longer. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Mondegreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/91b2a8/32.png) [@Lord\_Mondegreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Mondegreen)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/16 "2018-04-19T05:03:20Z")
I apologise. I thought he was still on WWDTM. My mistake. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/17 "2018-04-19T05:12:57Z")
Unfortunately, no. Bill Kurtis has been the scorekeeper since 2014. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/carl-kasell-has-died/812598/18 "2018-04-19T12:30:20Z")
And, as mentioned above, they recently changed the prize from “Carl Kassel’s voice on your voicemail” to “the voice of anyone on the show on your voicemail.” I wondered at the time if that change happened because Carl’s health was going downhill. Sorry to see that I was right.