DJ Casper — the American artist known best for creating the line dance staple "Cha-Cha Slide" — has died. Casper's wife, Kim, confirmed to ABC7 that the artist passed away Monday (August 7) following a battle with cancer. He was 58.
"Casper was a fun-loving, giving person," Kim shared in a statement [via ABC7]. "He was a genuine, family oriented man. He loved Chicago with all his heart. He will be greatly missed."
Born Willie Perry, Jr., in Chicago, Casper originally wrote "Cha-Cha Slide" as a step aerobics routine for his nephew. The artist cut a first version of the song in 1998, with Jaydee's house staple "Plastic Dreams" as the backing track for his dance instruction.
As the song and dance began to catch on locally, Casper composed a new version with an original music track, initially called "Casper Slide Part 2." In 2000, he released "Cha-Cha Slide" as Mr. C the Slide Man, complete with the accompanying music video found below.
Casper was diagnosed with kidney and liver cancer in 2016. This past May, in what would be his final television interview, the artist shared with ABC7 viewers, "Anybody that's going through cancer, know that you have cancer and cancer does not have you. So, keep on doing the 'Cha Cha Slide.'"
"Casper was a fun-loving, giving person," Kim shared in a statement [via ABC7]. "He was a genuine, family oriented man. He loved Chicago with all his heart. He will be greatly missed."
Born Willie Perry, Jr., in Chicago, Casper originally wrote "Cha-Cha Slide" as a step aerobics routine for his nephew. The artist cut a first version of the song in 1998, with Jaydee's house staple "Plastic Dreams" as the backing track for his dance instruction.
As the song and dance began to catch on locally, Casper composed a new version with an original music track, initially called "Casper Slide Part 2." In 2000, he released "Cha-Cha Slide" as Mr. C the Slide Man, complete with the accompanying music video found below.
Casper was diagnosed with kidney and liver cancer in 2016. This past May, in what would be his final television interview, the artist shared with ABC7 viewers, "Anybody that's going through cancer, know that you have cancer and cancer does not have you. So, keep on doing the 'Cha Cha Slide.'"