Musician, actor, and radio DJ Mojo Nixon died from a heart condition on Feb. 7, 2024, while traveling with the Outlaw Country Cruise through the Caribbean.
The 66-year-old singer first rose to fame in 1987 with his single ‘Elvis Is Everywhere,’ and was known for his satirical songs and exuberant personality.
“A cardiac event on the Outlaw Country Cruise is about right… & that’s just how he did it, Mojo has left the building,” his family said in a statement to Rolling Stone.
“Since Elvis is everywhere, we know he was waiting for him in the alley out back. Heaven help us all,” the statement continued.
Mr. Nixon, whose full name was Neill Kirby McMillan Jr., had a long career on the road. Born in North Carolina and raised in Virginia, he attended school in Ohio, and then traveled to England where he joined the punk scene. Back in the United States, he teamed up with Skid Roper in the 1980s.
Their musical partnership focused on lampooning American pop culture, celebrities, and social issues. Together, they recorded six albums from 1985 to 1990. After their split, Mr. Nixon recorded several albums solo and with his current band.
Mr. Nixon also tried his hand at acting, making his big screen debut as Jerry Lee Lewis’ drummer James Van Eaton in the 1989 biopic “Great Balls of Fire!” and later appeared in another five movies, including “Super Mario Bros.”
In the late 1990s, Mr. Nixon worked as a radio DJ in San Diego and Cincinnati, before becoming a Sirius Satellite Radio broadcaster, where he was known as “The Loon in the Afternoon.” By 2008 he was hosting three shows with the broadcaster.
Mr. Nixon was a regular performer and co-host of the yearly Outlaw Country Cruise in the Caribbean. He passed away while the ship was docked at San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The sold-out 7-day musical cruise concludes on Feb. 10, when the ship returns to the port of Miami. The cruise has featured dozens of Country music artists, including headliners Blackberry Smoke, Lucinda Williams, and Steve Earle.
