DJ Casper, the musician behind the global success of "Cha Cha Slide," has died aged 58. Casper battled kidney and liver cancer since his diagnosis in 2016 and ultimately succumbed to the disease on Monday, his family confirmed to ABC 7 News. His hit song "Cha Cha Slide" was a mainstay at weddings, proms and bar room dance floors throughout the early 2000s.
Born Willie Perry Jr. in Chicago, where he also resided, Casper created "Cha Cha Slide" in 1998 as a musical workout routine for his nephew who was a personal trainer. The song's popularity started to grow rapidly within the Chicago region.
A Star Is Gone
In 2000, he released a revised edition of the track titled "Casper Slide Pt.2," using his stage name Mr. C the Slide Man. This version gained worldwide success and even reached the number one spot on the U.K. Singles Chart in 2004.
In May, DJ Casper sat down for his last television interview with ABC7. During the interview, he revealed that he had never expected the immense success that "Cha Cha Slide" would achieve.
"When I first did it, I did it as an aerobic exercise for my nephew at Bally's," Casper said. "From there, it just took off. Elroy Smith from WGCI grabbed ahold of it," he continued.
His song is not just a popular choice at weddings; it's also a staple at events across the globe including children's parties, and sports events. DJ Casper mentioned, "I have one of the biggest songs that played at all stadiums: hockey, basketball, football, baseball; they played it at the Olympics."
"It was something that everybody could do."
Struggles With Cancer
In his last Casper also talked about his struggles with cancer. "They diagnosed me in 2016 with two kinds of cancer, which is renal and Neuroendocrine, which is kidney and liver," Casper said.
"They went in to try to do surgery, and they found out the kidney was connected to the main artery, so they decided not to do it and just treat it."
He claimed that he was struggling to eat and had lost a lot of weight.
"I used to weigh 236 pounds, and I think I'm about 60 pounds less," Casper said. "If you know me, you know I'm not going to stop. I'm going to continue to go. I'm going to continue to go until I can't go."
Cancer was not the only health struggle for Casper. He faced a brain aneurysm at the age of 22 and underwent eye surgery for detached retinas, as reported by The Guardian. In 2019, Casper mentioned that his cancer was in remission, although it later returned.
In May, Casper shared a message of encouragement to others battling cancer.
"Anybody that's going through cancer, know that you have cancer and cancer does not have you," Casper said. "So, keep on doing the 'Cha Cha Slide.'"
