DJ Casper creator of UK Number 1 single Cha Cha Slide, has died aged 58

DJ Casper, the artist behind the UK Number 1 hit single the Cha Cha Slide, has died aged 58. 

Hailing from Chicago in the US, Casper - whose real name was Willie Perry Jr - died yesterday (August 7) surrounded by his loved ones, a family statement to US media said. The songwriter, producer and hype man had originally been diagnosed with kidney and liver cancer in 2016.

Of course, Casper is best known for the Cha Cha Slide, a staple of every school disco, wedding and children's birthday party for the last two decades. The track was originally created in 1998 for Casper's nephew, who was working as an aerobics instructor, where it was used in his classes. 

MORE: See where DJ Casper's singles have charted in the UK

It initially caught on in the local Chicago area, before Casper signed to Universal, with its easy-to-follow dance routine and Casper's booming yet positive commands taking the track to the internatonal stage.

Originally widely released in August 2000, the Cha Cha Slide  (surprisingly) wasn't that much of a chart hit in the US, peaking at Number 83 on the Billboard Hot 100. It's greatest success, however, would come in the UK - where it was officially released as a single in 2004, four years after the fact.

Championed by BBC Radio 1's Scott Mills (who played the song on weekly rotation), Cha Cha Slide finally reached Number 1 on the Official Singles Chart on March 14 2004, after debuting at Number 2 the previous week. It would only spend one week at Number 1, but would stick around in the Top 10 for 8 weeks in total.

According to Official Charts Company data, the Cha Cha Slide's total UK chart units as of 2023 max out at 760,000 - which includes 354,000 physical sales, 153,000 digital downloads and 36 million streams. 

Cha Cha Slide would be DJ Casper's only UK Number 1 single, although his version of Oops Upside Your Head with The Gap Band would give him a second Top 20 single, peaking at Number 16 in 2004.