Who doesn’t remember the Cha Cha Slide track? If you were alive during the late 90s and early 2000s, it was THE song that got played in fitness classes.
Whether it was gym, aerobics, or Zumba, it was the go-to song to amp up the people. The man who made that track is Willie Perry Jr., but he is best known as DJ Casper.
A few days ago, the internet was abuzz with the news of his death. At only 58 years old, his death was unexpected. Yet, he suffered from complicated medical issues that could cut his time short. So, what is the truth? Did DJ Casper pass away?
Yes, DJ Casper, real name Willie Perry Jr., has passed away. His wife Kim revealed that the creator of the famous Cha Cha Slide track died on Monday, August 7, 2023, after battling liver and kidney cancer for seven years. He was 58 years old. In 2018, DJ Casper revealed that the cancer was in remission, but later on, it came back and took him with it this time.
Did DJ Casper Die?
Yes, DJ Casper, the creator of the famous Cha Cha Slide track, passed away at the age of 58. He died on Monday, August 7, 2023. His wife, Kim, revealed that Casper had been battling liver and kidney cancer for the last seven years but couldn’t carry on any longer and succumbed to the disease on Monday morning.
In January 2016, he was diagnosed with cancer. DJ Casper talked about his diagnosis during an interview with ABC7’s Samantha Chatman in May 2023 and said:
“They diagnosed me in 2016 with two kinds of cancer, which is renal and neuroendocrine, which is kidney and liver. 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.”
In a 2018 interview, DJ Casper said that he was in remission. But in a recent interview done before his death, the disease was back. But he seemed determined to shed weight and do anything to beat it. He had said:
“I used to weigh 236 pounds, and I think I’m about 60 pounds less. 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 wasn’t DJ Casper’s first brush with complicated medical issues. He had a brain aneurysm when he was only 22 and underwent eye surgery to fix his detached retinas.
Born Willie Perry Jr., the man created the famous Cha Cha Slide music in 1998 as Casper Slide Pt 1. He updated it as Casper Slide Pt 2 under his stage name- Mr. C the Slide Man. The rest is history; the tune is still played in various fitness places, weddings, cookouts, banquets, etc.
Casper originally made the track for his nephew, a personal trainer at Bally Fitness in 1998, to play that aerobic track in his classes. DJ Casper got the DJ name because of his all-white attire while onstage.
In his final interview with ABC7, he talked about Cha Cha Slide and said:
“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.”
As for battling cancer, he gave those battling the deadly disease words of encouragement and said:
“Anybody going through cancer, know that you have cancer and cancer does not have you. So, keep on doing the ‘Cha Cha Slide.’ “
An open visitation will be held on August 18 at Southwest Memorial Chapel at 7901 S. Komensky Avenue in Chicago from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. The family invites the public to pay their respects there.
Do you still listen to Cha Cha Slide? Is it still played in your gym or fitness center?
Let us know in the comments below.
Source: ABC7
