‘Party Time’ Deejay Danny English Dead At 54

Dancehall deejay Danny English passed away Thursday evening (January 23) at the Kingston Public Hospital in Jamaica. He was 54.

Best known for his gravelly delivery on the 2002 hit Party Time alongside Egg Nog, English died after a battle with diabetes, according to family members.

In a 2022 interview with DancehallMag, English revealed he had been living with the condition for five years, but maintained that it didn’t affect his studio work. “Mi not even a feel any pain, is just that I can’t really walk right now but when they get out this inflammation all will be good again,” the artist said at the time.

Born Donald Cox in Kingston, Danny English was heavily influenced by artists like Shabba Ranks, Buju Banton, Beres Hammond, Shaggy, and Tuffy Melody. He began pursuing music during his teen years at Camperdown High School.

In 2002, he recorded Party Time on Stephen ‘Lenky’ Marsden’s Diwali riddim, alongside fellow artist Egg Nog. The song, which cemented his place in Dancehall, was interestingly recorded in a bathroom. “Everything was magic in the bathroom,” English told YouTuber Teach Dem in a 2020 interview. 

Though initially hesitant to work with Egg Nog, English admitted that their chemistry was undeniable. “I never really liked Egg Nog at first for some reason, but I don’t know why… it just clicked eventually,” he laughed.

Reflecting on Egg Nog’s memorable mispronunciation of the word “audi” in Party Time‘s chrous, English said this was his idea and it was completely intentional. “I didn’t want anything average; I wanted something different,” he shared. “Don’t say ‘party,’ say ‘pardi’. Ardi. Shordi.”

Though Lenky had doubts, English said he was adamant about the sound he wanted.

“Well, Lenky dem did have a problem, cause tru nothing nuh name ‘ardi,’” he continued. “Mi nuh business ’bout Audi. [It’s] Ardi. Mi want it sound dat sound deh. Is a flow, is a melody, ah so the song affi sound.”

While they were never an official duo, their contrasting vocal styles—English’s raw, hardcore sound and Egg Nog’s smooth delivery—created a formidable pairing. Their other collaborations included Wine Baby Wine, Steppin’ In Da Club, I Like Your Style, She’s So Fine, You Are The One, Feel Like Dancing, and Gwaan Good.

After the success of Party Time, English parted ways with Egg Nog due to constant disagreements. They reunited in 2018 in an attempt to recapture the magic and released Nuh Bother Pick Up the Gun Tonight, a take on Peter Tosh’s Johnny B Goode.

Danny English is survived by 23 children—15 boys and 8 girls—including his son, up-and-coming Dancehall artist JayBlem.