DJ Casper, the man behind the hit dance-hip-hop single ‘Cha-Cha Slide‘, has passed away at the age of 58. Born on May 31, 1965 as Willie Perry J.R. in the city of Chicago, he also had the nickname of “Mr. C the Slide Man” and his ‘Cha-Cha Slide’ became the line dance jam that people around the world have enjoyed. DJ Casper’s ‘Cha-Cha Slide’ played at various venues such as dance clubs, music festivals, sporting matches, church functions, prom nights, and much more.
Although ‘Cha-Cha Slide’ topped at #83 on the US Billboard Top 100 chart (and also #24 on both the Billboard Dance Singles Sales and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts in the US), it achieved more charting success overseas. ‘Cha-Cha Slide’ reached #1 on the OCC UK Singles Chart and Ireland’s IRMA Charts, as well as numerous rankings in the Top 20 charts worldwide according to Wikipedia. Although DJ Casper has now passed on from the physical world, his music still lives on eternally, especially in the hearts and minds of people who love to “slide to the left, slide to the right, and criss-cross”.
DJ Casper passed away after a battle with cancer
The fight with cancer began in 2016 for DJ Casper. According to ABC7 Chicago, it was in that year that he found out that he had two kinds of cancer, renal and neuroendocrine (kidney and liver). Even during his fight with cancer, DJ Casper still had positivity in every single minute of his life. DJ Casper even mentioned that he hopes the ‘Cha-Cha Slide’ remains a symbol of “unity, community, and positivity”. In one of his last public statements, he said, “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'”.
