DJ Casper, “Cha Cha Slide” Creator, Dies at 58

DJ Casper, best known for creating the wildly popular dance hit “Cha Cha Slide,” has died. He was 58.

According to Chicago’s ABC7, Casper’s wife, Kim, said that the musician died on Monday after a seven year battle with cancer.

Born Willie Perry Jr. in Chicago, Illinois, Casper said his original song, “The Cha-Cha Slide,” was created as an exercise for his nephew’s fitness class. The song spread across the city, and in 2000, he released an updated version of the song, called “Casper Slide Pt. 2,” which achieved international success, and eventually became a pop culture phenomenon in the process.

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Casper, who was also known as Mr C the Slide Man, released an accompanying record, Cha-Cha Slide: The Original Slide Album.

In a recent interview with ABC7, Casper spoke out about his bout with cancer, as well as his past weight struggles, saying “I used to weigh 236 pounds, and I think I’m about 60 pounds less,” Casper he said to Samantha Chatman.“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.”

Regardless of the trials and tribulations that come with life, DJ  Casper maintained a positive mindset through it all.

“Anybody that’s going through cancer, know that you have cancer and cancer does not have you,” Casper said during the conversation on ABC7. “So, keep on doing the ‘Cha Cha Slide.’”