Casey Kasem, the legendary disc jockey best known for his popular syndicated weekend radio show American Top 40, died Sunday at the age of 82. While Kasem relinquished his hosting duties to Ryan Seacrest 10 years ago, Seacrest still stated yesterday that it was “a sad day for the broadcasting community and for radio listeners around the world.”

“When I was a kid, I would listen to Casey Kasem’s “AT40″ show every weekend, and dream about someday becoming a radio DJ,” said Seacrest. “So when decades later I took over his AT40 countdown show, it was a surreal moment. Casey had a distinctive friendly on-air voice, and he was just as affable and nice if you had the privilege to be in his company. He’ll be greatly missed by all of us.”

Kasem started American Top 40 in 1970 and hosted it and variations of it for an incredible four decades. The “King of Countdowns” was beloved by listeners for his smooth baritone voice and genuine nature, but his radio show became an instant success largely due to his popular “long-distance dedications” feature, where viewers got the opportunity to request a song for a loved one or personal connection. Each dedication began with “Dear Casey,” and told a tale that ranged from inspirational to heartbreaking.

“It’s so simple: what do people love?” Kasem said to the New York Times in a 1999 article. “Plato said it best. ‘People who tell the stories rule society.’ And we tell the stories, and people love to hear the stories. Of course, we’ve got tremendous responsibility to become accurate with those stories. And in most cases to be wholesome.”

The “American Top 40” website posted an audio tribute to Kasem on Sunday so fans could hear his voice, and Seacrest will pay tribute to Kasem during next weekend’s show, which will be dedicated to the disc jockey.

Seacrest took to Twitter yesterday to remind fans of Kasem’s touching signature sign-off:

“Keep your feet on the ground, and keep reaching for the stars.”