Kid Rock: The Tragic Death of His Buddy Joe C (Calleja)

Kid Rock: The story of his hype man Joe C (Calleja) and his untimely passing.

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Best known as Kid Rock’s side kick or the hype man for his Twisted Brown Trucker Band, Joe C would meet the musician before he got famous But his time would be cut short suffering from a debilitating medical condition. Today, lets take a look at the life of Joe C

Joe C would be born Joe Calleja. At a young age he would be diagnosed with an intestinal disorder known as celiac’s disease. At the age of 4 he would be prescribed dozens of medications including a steroid known as prednisone that stunted his growth resulting in his adult height being 3 ft 9. He would describe to MTV his daily routine revealing "I'm stickin' to my diet and takin' my medicine on time. You know, it's ridiculous. I take 60 pills [a day]. Right off the bat, when I wake up, [I take] two pills. An hour later, 10 pills. Three hours later, I've got the tube [in my stomach], and I shoot something through there three hours later. Two hours later, I take two more, and then an hour later, 10, then shoot the tube three hours later [again]." He would admit to spin magazine he would give up his rockstar life if it mean he could live with celiac’s disease.

By this point in kid Rock’s career he had already released several albums but hadn’t yet hit big. In 1997 Kid Rock would sign with Atlantic Records with him putting out his fourth record Devil without a cause in 1998, which was a massive success moving 15 million copies. The record was notable because the musician moved away from his traditional hip hop sound blending together rap rock, nu metal and hard rock. Joe C would appear on the album as part of his backing band Twisted Brown Trucker. But due to his health issues Joe C didn’t spend a lot of time on the road with the band having to bow out by the late 1999. He would make several high profile appearances during this time appearing on the south park soundtrack and on the fox animated show the simpsons.

Several publications noted 1999 to be the year of htel little people with Verne Tryoer of Ausin Powers fame also being in the news. In fact Joe C would reveal to spin they were both friends and Troyer provided important emotional support when he felt down about his life. Despite that he also became the butt of jokes, most notably at the 1999 mtv vidoe music awards when Chris Rock who was host made some jokes at his expense as you can see here.

On the evening of NOvember 16th, 2000 spin magazine would report that Joe C who was staying at his parents house in Taylor, Michigan was complaiing about feeling cold and decided to call it a night. His father found him unresponsive the next morning. He was just 26 years old. His cause of death was complications due to celiac disease.

In a statement, Kid Rock — reported to be extremely shaken by C.'s death — said, "Family and friends are everything; without them, all of the fame and fortune means nothing. We have lost part of our family. Joey gave us, and the world, his love. He brought a smile to everyone who has ever known or seen him.
"In a world full of confusion, Joey made all of us laugh. No matter what color, religion, race, or beliefs we have, he made us all smile. He gave us the gift of joy. Joey, thank you. We will never forget you. We love you."


MTV news would report the following year that Joe C would be honored at Kid Rock’s upcoming live shows "We're going to do a nice tribute to him every night and try not to be selfish about it," Rock said backstage at the American Music Awards ceremony on Monday.
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[rapman]

Remember Joe C at Woodstock 99 wearing a T-shirt stating “I am not a fucking midget”
Set ‘em straight Joe!! R.I.P. 🎤

[davidpeters]

Say whatever you want about Kid Rock, but I give him lots of kudos for making Joe C feel special while he was here with us.... such a shame that he was taken from us way too soon

[rocknrolljesus]

Still pays tribute to him at his concerts to this day.

[MarkRoss-eryq]

People may give Kid Rock grief and crap for all of the stunts and antics he’s pulled over the years. But kudos to him for making Joe C. feel special for the time he was here on earth 👍🏻

[LordofFaygo]

I grew up in Taylor Michigan and would see Joey around. Went to his wake to pay respect and all the music heavyweights were there. That’s a sign of a cool dude. RIP Joe C!

[holythumbs]

I was lucky enough to see him during the Summer Sanitarium tour. The lineup was insane. Metallica, Korn, Kid Rock, PM5K, and System of a Down.

[onthecase]

My father always told me, if you don't have your health, YOU HAVE NOTHING< RIP DAD, RIP JOE C.

[keepontruckinoutlawlife]

THE KID MADE JOE C'S LIFE THE BEST LIFE ANYONE COULD EVER WANT AND HAVE. THANKS KID FOR WHAT YOU DID FOR JOE. RIP JOE C

[smileyslick]

Kid Rock has continued to honor his promise to pay tribute to Joe C at each show. It’s great that Kid Rock (Bob) keeps Joe’s legacy alive.

[WC_Beer_Reviews]

His public presence with the band was always an exciting part of kid rock's rise to fame in the late 90s

[stevenmaloney]

I went to High School with Joey Calleja. I was at the concert he met kid rock at in 1995. Unfortunately, Joey had VIP access to go back stage and I didn't 🥺 He was a cool dude. RIP

[deborahchesser]

Kid has a big heart, he made Joe’s fleeting time here a little better. RIP buddy

[LundenVagrant]

honestly, I forgot how hard that first big Kid Rock album was. it was everywhere and had some straight up bangers on it

[shanetowne]

I saw kid rock shortly after Joe c died. They did a large video screen with him on it. Fast forward 20 years later he still does it. Just saw kid 8/23 still a great show.

[weresmurf]

I wasn't a Kid Rock fan in my 20's honestly. I'm 44 now and really, *really* love the dude. When I found out that he does cheap concerts just so poorer people can afford to see him, that he doesn't raise the prices of his tickets to absurd levels, just so his fans can afford to go, it really made me realise that unlike a lot of others, he actually cares for his fans. This sort of thing, with Joe C, tells me Kid Rock truly is the real deal.

[PatienceWithAnimals-beuc]

I had the pleasure of meeting Joe C. while he was with Kid Rock, he was a very cool guy. May he rest in peace and rock forever

[djinnmagik]

RIP JOE C. THAT WAS AWESOME FOR KID ROCK TO INVITE JOE C INTO THE BAND. AND KID ROCK WAS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT WHEN HE STATED THAT THE "MONEY AND FAME MEAN NOTHING WITHOUT FRIENDS & FAMILY!" THANKS FOR THIS VIDEO 💖

[michaelsortisio]

I have celiac disease and Gastritis so I know what Joe C had 2 go through it sucks BIG TIME. RIP JOE C!! GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN

[ZomBSnatcher]

Kid Rock used to play in Hartford CT a lot. Back then WCCC was the local rock station. Kid Rock had a trailer he towed and he roadied all his equipment himself. Super humble and reachable star. You can't take that away from him

[MH-kowc]

I remember hearing Joe C on Devil Without a Cause for the first time and it was completely wild and unexpected lol. He killed it on that track