Recently, news broke that legendary hip-hop dancer Voodoo Ray, born Raymond Ultarte, passed away on October 17 at the age of 50. The dancer had made many appearances in iconic videos like Busta Rhymes’ “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See,” Run-DMC’s “It’s Like That,” and Jay-Z’s infamous “Sunshine” video. Along with that, Voodoo Ray appeared in movies and shows like Juice, Who’s The Man, New Jack City, The Devil Wears Prada, and The Get Down.
Ultarte came up in the New York club scene in the ’80s and ‘90s as a promoter and dancer and was able to take his vision as a dancer and spread it to multiple artists for their videos and shows. Because of that, many artists, celebrities, and DJs paid their respects to him. DJs like Clark Kent, Premier, and Mister Cee paid their respect to Ray, with all of them speaking on the impact he left upon them. Questlove offered some words via Instagram, writing, “If you had the time of your life at a New York party in the past 20—chances are this brother was part the reason—either lighting up the dancefloor w his crew or throwing the actual party. A key fixture in New York club nightlife. It’s never gonna be the same man. Wow man. New York lost a legend last night. Rest easy @MrVoodooRay.”
The cause of Voodoo Ray’s death has not been revealed. News of his death was announced to those looking to participate in his “Float Masters Street Hitters” Class by his friend John Rich, who said, “I'm so sorry to say that class and practice will be cancelled tomorrow due to the sudden loss of a great dear friend Rest In Paradise my brother Mr. Voodoo Ray.”
Source: hiphopdx.com
