DJ Casper, creator of ‘Cha Cha Slide,’ dies aged 58 after battle with cancer

DJ Casper, the creator of the ‘Cha Cha Slide,’ has died at the age of 58 after a battle with cancer. Casper’s last television interview was with ABC7's Samantha Chatman at his home in May. His wife, Kim, confirmed the news, ABC7 reported. His cause of death has not been revealed.

A Chicago native, Casper said during the interview that he was facing certain health challenges. However, he vowed to stay positive and optimistic.

Speaking of 'Cha Cha Slide,’ Casper said he never imagined it would be an international sensation. "When I first did it, I did it as an aerobic exercise for my nephew at Bally's," Casper said. "From there, it just took off. Elroy Smith from WGCI grabbed ahold of it."

Casper had performed the line dance across the globe over the years. "I have one of the biggest songs that played at all stadiums: hockey, basketball, football, baseball; they played it at the Olympics," he said. "It was something that everybody could do."

‘Keep on doing the 'Cha Cha Slide’

Casper was diagnosed with cancer in 2016. "They diagnosed me in 2016 with two kinds of cancer, which is renal and Neuroendocrine, which is kidney and liver," Casper said. "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."

Casper revealed his struggle with the deadly illness, and said he was having trouble eating. He had also begun to lose a lot of weight. "I used to weigh 236 pounds, and I think I'm about 60 pounds less," Casper said. "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."

In a message to people who are struggling, Casper said, “Anybody that's going through cancer, know that you have cancer and cancer does not have you. So, keep on doing the 'Cha Cha Slide.'"