DJ and songwriter DJ Casper – also known as Mr. C the Slide Man - was born William Perry Jr. on May 31, 1965, in Chicago, Illinois. His music career began when he created a song in 1998 for his nephew, who was a personal trainer at Bally Total Fitness. The song, “Casper Slide, Pt. 1,” was initially supposed to be used for aerobic fitness training, but it became extremely popular locally before it infiltrated dance clubs around the world in 2000. The song, which was re-recorded and retitled “Cha Cha Slide,” reached number 1 in the UK charts. In 2000, the song gained more traction when it was included on a compilation album called Cha Cha Slide: The Original Slide album. The song was considered a novelty hit and his “Casper Slide, Pt. 2” single failed to generate more interest. In 2004, he returned to international charts when his cover of The Gap Band’s “Oops Upside Your Head” (featuring The Gap Band) reached number 16 in the UK. He continued to promote his sole hit with albums like Mr. C Presents: The Cha Cha Slide Greatest Hits (2009). Diagnosed with kidney and liver cancer in 2016, he went in remission and continued to promote his music, even appearing in the popular TV series Orange Is the New Black (2018). His cancer returned and DJ Casper died on August 7, 2023, at the age of 58.
