How to pronounce "Kesey"?

How to pronounce "Kesey", as in "Ken Kesey" (the author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest")?

kess-ee?
kee-see?
kay-see?

Chris (my American cousin) says: "i don't know. everybody pronounces the name differently. i would bet on "kay-see" though."

Can someone confirm/contradict?

I asked Cornelia (my American teacher). She opted for kay-see, but I could see she was hesitant.

Marcia, thanks for asking your teacher. We have two votes for "kay-see".

Any native speakers care to comment?

Oh, for Pete's sake! It's KEE-zee! ("Ken KEE-zee and the Merry Pranksters.")


Jeff Hook
New Jersey, USA

Thanks a lot, Jeff.

I ran a search on "Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters" and found a site which used the phrase "Key-Z Productions". I guess this authoritatively confirms the pronunciation you gave.

Thanks again!