Mojo Nixon, the musician, actor, and radio DJ who rose to fame for his irreverent songs and humor, died on Wednesday at age 66. He was on the Outlaw Country Cruise, where he performed the night before his death.
His family confirmed the news in a statement posted on his Facebook page, saying that he died of “a cardiac event” while on the cruise.
“How you live is how you should die,” the statement read. “Mojo Nixon was full-tilt, wide-open rock hard, root hog, corner on two wheels + on fire… Passing after a blazing show, a raging night, closing the bar, taking no prisoners + a good breakfast with bandmates and friends. A cardiac event on the Outlaw Country Cruise is about right… & that’s just how he did it. Mojo has left the building. Since Elvis is everywhere, we know he was waiting for him in the alley out back. Heaven help us all.”
Mojo Nixon was born Neill Kirby McMillan Jr. on Aug. 2, 1957, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but grew up in Danville, Virginia. He moved to California in the early 1980s and formed a duo with Skid Roper, who played washboard and percussion.
They released six albums together, mixing country, rock, punk, and comedy. Their most famous song was “Elvis Is Everywhere”, a 1987 hit that parodied the cult of Elvis Presley. The song and its low-budget video became a sensation on MTV and college radio.
Nixon also had a solo career, releasing several albums and collaborating with other artists, such as Jello Biafra, John Doe, and Country Dick Montana. He was known for his satirical and provocative songs, such as “Don Henley Must Die”, “Debbie Gibson Is Pregnant with My Two-Headed Love Child”, and “Stuffin’ Martha’s Muffin”. He also appeared in movies, such as Great Balls of Fire!, Super Mario Bros., and Rock ‘n’ Roll High School Forever.
In the 2000s, Mojo Nixon became a radio DJ, hosting shows on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country and Raw Dog Comedy channels. He was nicknamed “The Loon in the Afternoon” for his outrageous and hilarious antics.
He also starred in a documentary about his life and career, The Mojo Manifesto: The Life and Times of Mojo Nixon, which premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival in 2022.
