Jean Kasem’s Business Manager Was Arrested After A Fight About Money
Casey Kasem must have absolutely lived for the drama. After all, he did marry legendary Looney Toon and America’s preeminent Weekend At Bernie’s cosplayer Jean Kasem. You may remember her as dumb blond Loretta Tortelli on Cheers (and later on the spin-off The Tortellis), or you may remember her from the time she stole her husband’s corpse from a funeral home and then sent it on an all expenses paid (by him) trip around world ultimately resulting in his burial in Norway six months after his death. Also, how about the time she screamed bible verses and flung raw hamburger meat while her biker gang friends tried to stop the ambulance carrying Casey off to the hospital ? Now, according to TMZ, Jean’s business manager/probable lover, John Gressy, has been arrested for making threats and throwing dishes after a fight over Jean giving money to her and Casey’s 29-year-old daughter Liberty Kasem. Cue For The Love Of Money, which peaked at #9 on Billboard’s Pop Singles chart in spring 1974.
According to TMZ, the incident took place last Friday at about 10AM at Jean’s home.
We’re told her business manager, John Gressy, got furious because Jean was giving money to her daughter, Liberty Kasem.
Gressy’s rampage allegedly included throwing dishes and a vase at Jean, and we’re told she was struck at least once and needed to be taken to a hospital for minor injuries. He also allegedly threatened to kill Jean, her lawyer and Liberty … who was in the home and called 911.
John locked himself in a room, but when police arrived they arrested him for felony criminal threats. We’re told he could be hit with more charges — such as assault and/or battery — once the case is submitted to the L.A. County District Attorney.
Jean’s rep insists there is no “intimate or personal relationship” between Jean and John, so I guess he’s one of those extra dedicated types of business manager that makes early morning house calls and has a key to the china cabinet. Apparently, John’s been involved in the Kasem Family Circus since at least 2014. That’s when he was, according to New York Daily News, living with Jean in Casey’s condo and a private investigator, who was working for the Scientologist daughter Kerri Kasem, concluded that John may have assisted in moving Casey’s body to Montreal before it eventually was moved to Norway.
After beating charges of elder abuse brought on by Casey’s kids from a previous marriage, Jean and the family are still fighting over his estate. Now it seems the Kasem’s aren’t the only ones who simply cannot proceed with their lives without some of the sweet Top 40 bucks. Jean was probably just trying to help Liberty out with some extra cash for that SoundCloud Unlimited subscription. Only Casey himself can tell us what an appropriate song to transition out of this story would be, but I’m going to take a chance and hope Casey’s ghost doesn’t curse me out (though he probably has bigger things on his spirit). Here’s 1981’s No. 6 Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 hit by Ozzy Osbourne; Crazy Train.
Pic: Wenn.com