DJ Casper, born Willie Perry Jr., performs throughout rehearsals for his efficiency on The Jenny Jones Present in Chicago in September 2000. Perry has died at age 58. Raymond Boyd/Getty Pictures cover caption
toggle caption
Raymond Boyd/Getty Pictures
DJ Casper, born Willie Perry Jr., performs throughout rehearsals for his efficiency on The Jenny Jones Present in Chicago in September 2000. Perry has died at age 58.
Raymond Boyd/Getty Pictures
The musical thoughts behind the “Cha Cha Slide” — the ever-present turn-of-the-millennium dance hit performed at celebrations and in gyms internationally — has died.
DJ Casper died Monday after a protracted battle with most cancers, his spouse instructed ABC7 in Chicago. He was 58.
Born Willie Perry Jr., the Chicago native initially recorded a model of the “Cha Cha Slide” within the late Nineteen Nineties as an cardio train for his nephew, who was working as a private coach at Bally Whole Health.
Casper mentioned the observe shortly took off and he received requests to carry out it at native golf equipment and events, in line with WBEZ. Chicago’s WGCI-FM radio station aired the tune in 2000 earlier than it was finally picked up by Common Information.
“I actually did not count on the ‘Cha Cha Slide’ to do what it did,” Casper mentioned in an interview with Chicago’s PBS station WTTW in 2018. “All the pieces hit unexpectedly, Common Information contact me, they wished me to go on a tour and it began getting actual loopy.”
Based on Pitchfork, Casper composed a brand new model that yr initially referred to as “Casper Slide Half 2,” which turned the “Cha Cha Slide” that caught fireplace within the U.S. and hit No. 1 on the charts in the UK in 2004.
From humble exercise observe to world phenomenon, the “Cha Cha Slide” endures to at the present time as a staple at weddings, birthday events, college phys ed lessons and extra.
Within the tune, Casper calls out easy-to-follow steps that invite dancers to slip to the left and proper, criss cross, Charlie Brown and — after all — cha cha actual clean.
Now a popular culture mainstay, the “Cha Cha Slide” has stomped its method into reveals like Orange is the New Black and Saturday Evening Stay.
Casper instructed ABC7 that he was recognized with kidney and liver cancers in 2016 and misplaced about 60 kilos consequently, however he by no means misplaced the upbeat angle that pervaded his most well-known tune.
“Anyone that is going via most cancers, know that you’ve most cancers and most cancers doesn’t have you ever,” Casper instructed the station. “So, carry on doing the ‘Cha Cha Slide.’ “
