Willie Puckett Jr., a cornerstone of New Orleans bounce whose late-1990s records and high-energy moves helped define the city’s party soundtrack, died May 3 at age 50. A dancer-rapper equally at home in packed clubs and at neighborhood block parties, he is being mourned by musicians and longtime fans across the city.
According to family and funeral notices, Puckett died on May 3 from respiratory failure brought on by cancer. He was born and raised in the 10th Ward and grew up in the St. Thomas housing projects. A 1994 graduate of Alcee Fortier High School, he served as drum major in the school’s marching band, a role that foreshadowed the showman he would become onstage.
Visitation and a celebration of life are scheduled for May 23 at Boyd Family Funeral Home, with burial to follow at Providence Memorial Park in Metairie. Survivors listed by the family include his wife, Stacy P. Puckett, multiple children and stepchildren, a sister and nine grandchildren. News of his death prompted a wave of online tributes, and Puckett was noted as one of the performers on last year’s NOLA Live cruise, as reported by NOLA.
Career and influence
Puckett first hit the scene as a dancer with DJ Jubilee and the girl group Da’ Sha Ra’, then moved to the mic, turning his club-tested moves into a full performance style. His routines helped popularize the frenetic “trip out” step in bounce choreography, and he was closely associated with the “Doggie Hopp” dance craze singled out by OffBeat. Label notes from Take Fo’ Records also place him among the artists who helped define the local bounce scene.
Recordings and later performances
Puckett put his name on wax with the six-track Doggie Hopp EP in 1997, followed by the 1998 album Million Dollar Hot Boy, which featured guest appearances from DJ Jubilee, K.C. Redd and Lisa Amos. Those projects remain documented on streaming and archival platforms, with credits and track lists available through Apple Music and local discography sites such as The Good Ol’ Dayz.
Scene reaction and legacy
Veteran listeners and historians place Puckett among the New Orleans artists whose call-and-response style and dance-first approach helped move bounce from neighborhood halls to a wider audience. Contextual histories emphasize how labels like Take Fo’ and their rosters built the sound and culture that later acts would expand on. For broader background on how bounce’s beats and footwork evolved, a primer at Afropop Worldwide traces those shifts…