DJ Casper, creator of “Cha-Cha Slide”, has passed away aged 58
The Chicago DJ and songwriter – real name Willie Perry Jr – best known for his hit “Cha-Cha Slide" has died of liver and kidney cancer after first being diagnosed in 2016.
DJ Casper – AKA Mr. C The Slide Man – created “Casper Slide Pt. 1,” the original version of the “Cha-Cha Slide,” for his nephew, who worked as a personal trainer at Bally Total Fitness. In 2000 he released “Casper Slide Pt. 2,” which started to get airplay from radio DJ Elroy Smith on Chicago’s WGCI and became a local sensation. It was eventually picked up by Universal Records, who helped popularise the song around the world.
A slow-burn success, it caught on around the US in 2001 and became a minor chart hit (reaching No 83) before arriving in the UK in 2004 and going to No 1. Casper also released an accompanying album, Cha-Cha Slide: The Original Slide Album.
DJ Casper toured extensively in support of “Cha-Cha Slide,” including dates with James Brown, and appeared as himself in an episode of Orange Is The New Black.
Casper had already overcome earlier health struggles including a brain aneurysm. He announced in 2019 that his cancer was in remission, but it later returned.
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