(CNN) —DJ Casper, born Willie Perry, Jr., has died after a battle with cancer, his wife told CNN affiliate ABC7 Chicago on Monday.

The Chicago native was reportedly 58. CNN has reached out to his family for comment.

Casper was responsible for the popular song “Cha Cha Slide,” which came out 23 years ago this month. Coming off of his “Cha-Cha Slide: The Original Slide Album,” the track gave way to a popular line dance that is still performed at events all over the world.

[embedded content]Casper’s “Cha Cha Slide” has quickly become a staple at events from proms and weddings to corporate functions and more – wherever dance is a part of a celebration – thanks to its easy dancability and the way it fits into the Black tradition of line dances including the Electric Slide and the Cupid Shuffle.

Such traditions are not unfamiliar to the world at large due in part to the show “Soul Train,” which celebrated Black music artists and the art of line dancing well before some of today’s most popular dances were invented.

Casper told ABC7 during an interview in May that he was surprised by his song’s international success. “When I first did it, I did it as an aerobic exercise for my nephew at Bally’s,” he said. “From there, it just took off. Elroy Smith from WGCI grabbed ahold of it.”

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Hollywood Minute 8/8: “Oppenheimer” extends Imax run

(CNN) — DJ Casper, born Willie Perry, Jr., has died after a battle with cancer, his wife told CNN affiliate ABC7 Chicago on Monday.

The Chicago native was reportedly 58. CNN has reached out to his family for comment.

Casper was responsible for the popular song “Cha Cha Slide,” which came out 23 years ago this month. Coming off of his “Cha-Cha Slide: The Original Slide Album,” the track gave way to a popular line dance that is still performed at events all over the world.

Casper’s “Cha Cha Slide” has quickly become a staple at events from proms and weddings to corporate functions and more – wherever dance is a part of a celebration – thanks to its easy dancability and the way it fits into the Black tradition of line dances including the Electric Slide and the Cupid Shuffle.

Such traditions are not unfamiliar to the world at large due in part to the show “Soul Train,” which celebrated Black music artists and the art of line dancing well before some of today’s most popular dances were invented.

Casper told ABC7 during an interview in May that he was surprised by his song’s international success. “When I first did it, I did it as an aerobic exercise for my nephew at Bally’s,” he said. “From there, it just took off. Elroy Smith from WGCI grabbed ahold of it.”

DJ Casper, the creator of the ‘Cha Cha Slide,’ has died at age 58. https://t.co/7KFnNwjVig

— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) August 8, 2023

DJ Casper, born Willie Perry, Jr., has died after a battle with cancer, his wife told CNN affiliate ABC7 Chicago on Monday.

The Chicago native was reportedly 58. CNN has reached out to his family for comment.

Casper was responsible for the popular song “Cha Cha Slide,” which came out 23 years ago this month. Coming off of his “Cha-Cha Slide: The Original Slide Album,” the track gave way to a popular line dance that is still performed at events all over the world.

Casper’s “Cha Cha Slide” has quickly become a staple at events from proms and weddings to corporate functions and more – wherever dance is a part of a celebration – thanks to its easy dancability and the way it fits into the Black tradition of line dances including the Electric Slide and the Cupid Shuffle.

Such traditions are not unfamiliar to the world at large due in part to the show “Soul Train,” which celebrated Black music artists and the art of line dancing well before some of today’s most popular dances were invented.

Casper told ABC7 during an interview in May that he was surprised by his song’s international success. “When I first did it, I did it as an aerobic exercise for my nephew at Bally’s,” he said. “From there, it just took off. Elroy Smith from WGCI grabbed ahold of it.”

Rodney McMillian is an artist with works in nearly all of America’s top contemporary and modern art museums. His paintings have hung in Oslo, Norway and London, England. Now, the Irmo-born son comes home.

The Columbia Museum of Art acquired two paintings by McMillian. The yearlong feat is from the Contemporaries board of volunteers, who raise funds and seek new work for the museum’s contemporary art collection. 

McMillian was joined by his family and friends at CMA on Aug. 7 to present the works, where the Los Angeles-based artist was given a key to the city of Columbia, and presented a resolution from the General Assembly. 

“They say you’re never a prophet in your own town, so when your hometown begins to recognize you it should mean something,” said State Sen. Todd Rutherford, the minority leader who represents Richland County. “It should mean something for those of us that have watched from afar, seeing the artwork be created and seeing all the things that you’ve been able to do; to take history and bring it present.”

Rutherford and McMillian grew up together. 

McMillian is a prominent voice in 21st Century contemporary American art. Rooted in landscape painting, McMillian examines the intersections of place, race, gender and politics in his mixed-media collections.

One of the acquired works is “Twice Painted,” a still life of empty flower vases. It’s a dark piece, with the vases painted near-black, and the background all but swallowing the light. It’s simple in object and small in stature — a change from most of McMillian’s large-scale works — but “Twice Painted” holds your attention; there’s something to be found in the blackness. 

In contrast, the CMA also acquired a work from McMillian’s collection, “The Body Politic,” an exploration and damnation of America’s history of experimentation and “medical exploitation” of Black people.

The painting, “Untitled (For Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosely),” dominates the wall upon which it hangs. Black and purple tributaries weave through murky yellow and green, like a marsh bleeding into an estuary. Along the bottom of the piece is a quote from OBGYN and activist, Dr. Reagan McDonald-Mosley. It glares in red, blocky letters: “You can’t educate your way out of the problem. You can’t health-care-access your way out of the problem. There’s something inherently wrong with the system that’s not valuing the lives of Black women equally to White women.” 

“Being able to have an artwork that really speaks to the vast disparities in the systemic inequities as it comes to your women’s bodies is incredibly profound and powerful to me, and I hope that it will be for you, as well,” said Columbia City Councilwoman Aditi Bussells, an epidemiologist and Contemporaries member who helped acquire McMillian’s works. Bussells and Councilman Peter Brown were on-hand to present McMillian with the key to the city. 

McMillian’s works hang in CMA’s second-level Contemporary Art Gallery, just right of Mao, a 10-work series of Andy Warhol’s Mao Zedong portraits. As part of CMA’s Collection, the works will be a permanent fixture at the Main Street museum. 

And while the acquisition took a year to pull off, CMA and McMillian aren’t through working together. 

Speaking to the crowd at the private Aug. 7 event, McMillian announced a solo exhibition at CMA, slated for 2025. 

“I’m just deeply, deeply touched,” McMillian said of his time with CMA thus far. “And I can’t wait to keep seeing you around as we build this show, in a couple of years.” 

While he said McMillian’s announcement was “a surprise to you and me both,” CMA Curator Michael Neumeister said the exhibit will be created specifically for the museum, but planning is in the early stages.

Karissa Valencia is a deeply innovative and award-winning creative in the children’s animation space. Valencia is the first California Native American showrunner, and the creator, executive producer and showrunner of Netflix’s Spirit Rangers, a fantasy-adventure preschool series that celebrates community, nature and the rich heritage of Native American storytelling.

“Karissa is a creative visionary — a star who’s built an incredible team, and who casts a warm glow on everything and everyone she works with,” offers Heather Tilert, Director of Preschool Content at Netflix.

In celebration of her work on Spirit Rangers, Valencia has received several accolades including inclusion in The Hollywood Reporter’s inaugural Kids Entertainment Power List, Variety’s 10 Animators to Watch, and Animation Magazine’s Rising Stars of Animation.

“Through Spirit Rangers, Karissa Valencia, along with the largely Native creative team she has built and the tribal leaders who gave permission to tell their stories, beautifully celebrates several historically silenced cultures and challenges the notion that all Native American and Indigenous people are the same,” says Joely Proudfit, Ph.D., Native Production Consultant on Spirit Rangers.

Prior to developing Spirit Rangers, Valencia wrote for preschool favorites such Disney Junior’s Doc McStuffins, Vampirina, T.O.T.S and The Chicken Squad. Valencia is a member of the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, and currently resides in Los Angeles. Forbes sat down with Karissa Valencia to talk about her inspirations, life journey and career moves.

Goldie Chan: Hello Karissa, thank you for joining Forbes. What has been your favorite project to work on?

Karissa Valencia: I’ve been lucky enough to work on so many amazing projects during my career. Writing for kids is extremely fulfilling! We get to make them laugh and create characters that can directly impact how they’ll grow up and view the world. With that in mind, I have to say that the most fulfilling project I’ve worked on is Spirit Rangers. It was both a career and personal goal all wrapped in one. Creating a show where an Indigenous family exists in the present day, while also believing their culture is magic, has been a dream come true. Growing up on the Chumash reservation in the Santa Ynez Valley in California, I was fortunate to be surrounded by my culture. But when I would leave, I only saw my culture represented in my school’s history books or as a caricature in TV and Film. I’m so happy that Spirit Rangers is part of a new wave of Indigenous media that combats those stereotypes. Spirit Rangers is also the first job I’ve ever had where I wasn’t the only Indigenous person in the room. We have had over 100 Indigenous crew members who worked with our team of veterans at Netflix and SuperProd. It has been an incredible collaboration. I’m so proud of the content we have all made together, but also how we made it. Representation behind the scenes is just as important as what’s on screen.

Chan: How did you break into animation?

Valencia: Right after I graduated from Syracuse University in 2014, I had the opportunity to join Nickelodeon Animation Studios as an intern (“Nick-tern”). I worked in the Talent Development Department assisting the Writing and Artist Programs. It was such an incredible intro into the world of animation and truthfully, the ’90s kid in me was fan-girling every day. The community was extremely welcoming and I met so many incredible people.

Chan: How does your tribe and your greater Native American identity and community impact and inspire you?

Valencia: Great question! I feel proud to be Indigenous every day, especially as a California Native. My tribe’s resilience and perseverance to keep our culture alive was what motivated me to do the same for our community. It’s the reason why Spirit Rangers exists. I am also constantly in awe of our Native Youth. Watching our young Indigenous climate activists fight to protect our wildlife and planet is inspirational. They’re keeping Indigenous communities as part of the conversation and solution for climate change, which I greatly admire. I’m a huge fan of our National Parks and after realizing I had never met an Indigenous park ranger in my own ancestral land, it inspired me to create a family of park rangers in Spirit Rangers.

Chan: Describe your personal brand.

Valencia: I’m a storyteller with a passion for representation in front of and behind the camera. I enjoy challenging old Hollywood and creating spaces for artists to be themselves. As someone who is part of several minority groups, I enjoy writing stories about underdogs who learn to embrace who they are.

Chan: What is a book or podcast that you’re reading or listening to now that you’d recommend?

Valencia: There are so many! First one to come to mind is “The Screenwriting Life” with Meg LeFauve and Lorien McKenna. Their perspective is so honest and genuine. They tackle the emotional side of getting to the core of a script or being a writer in general. I also laugh out loud to “Scam Goddess.” The host is hilarious as she unpacks the wildest scams and stories of con artists. And last but not least, I’ve also been really enjoying “Pod Crushed” where different celebrities share personal stories from their Middle School years. Their first crushes or embarrassing stories feel like they’re straight out of a movie.

Chan: What is a life lesson you’d share with your younger self?

Valencia: “Be Yourself.” The cheesiest, but simplest advice. The modern world makes it so easy to assimilate and move away from who we are. In my case, my Indigenous or Mexican roots felt easy to move away from when I was the only one in the room. But as soon as I embraced who I was, my family, my culture, everything started to click into place and my voice as an artist began to shine through.

Chan: What are you working on now?

Valencia: I’m happy to share that we’re currently working on Season 3 of Spirit Rangers. We have incredible new ocean characters and get to see beautiful new animation of ocean and beaches. We also have an amazing new voice cast, tribal partnerships, and new writers. An episode I am personally very proud of is one that I co-wrote with former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo. She is someone I look up to as a fellow Indigenous woman writer and brought a new perspective into the writers room. I can’t wait for everyone to see her episode!

Chan: Any career advice for this year?

Valencia: As a new showrunner, a piece of advice I wish I listened to sooner was that resting and recharging is part of our jobs. I love showrunning and can easily fall into the trap of working too much. Luckily, writing about National Parks for four years has only inspired me to visit so many new ones this year!