DJ Casper: Musician who created Cha Cha Slide dies aged 58

(Bennett Raglin / Getty Images for iTalk Events)

DJ Casper, a US artist whose song Cha Cha Slide became an enduring global hit, has died at the age of 58.

In 2016, he received a diagnosis of kidney and liver cancer, and the artist passed away as a result of the condition, according to his wife Kim.

Casper, who was born Willie Perry Jr in Chicago, where he stayed, made Cha Cha Slide in 1998 as a musical workout for his nephew, a personal trainer. As a result, its popularity grew rapidly in the Chicago region.

The song was first signed locally, and then by a large label, which launched it into the world scene. It quickly established itself as a hit at weddings, kids’ parties, sporting events, and other gatherings thanks to its line-dancing routine and cheery Casper commands (who released it as Mr C the Slide Man).

The song comes with a special line dance that was modelled after the Chicago stepping style.

Dancers are urged to “slide to the left/right”, “clap your heads”, and “go all the way to the floor” by the song’s lyrics.

Its creator, Casper, who got his stage name due to his love of wearing all-white on stage (like the eponymous ghost), expressed his desire that the dance track would continue to serve as a reminder of the strength of community, unity, and positivity in an interview with ABC7 in May.

The artist, who once toured with James Brown, explained: “I have one of the biggest songs that has played at all stadiums: hockey, basketball, football, baseball; they played it at the Olympics. It was just something that everybody could do.”

Oops Up Side Your Head, a rendition of the Gap Band’s 1970s R&B hit, was DJ Casper’s sole other single release. However, he also released the albums Out Champ in 1999, Casper in 2001, and I Love You just last year.