Joseph Calleja; Rapper ‘Joe C.’ Toured With Kid Rock

Joseph Calleja, 26, the rap performer known as Joe C. who recorded and toured with Kid Rock, the flashy Detroit musician. Calleja had suffered since childhood with celiac disease, and as a result stood only 3 feet 9. His health maintenance regimen had included taking 65 pills a day and daily dialysis. Despite this, he had been in good health, and his death was unexpected, said a publicist for Atlantic Records, which announced the death. A longtime fan who attended many of Kid Rock’s performances, he caught the singer-rapper’s eye in 1994 and became one of the first members of Rock’s backup band, dubbed the Twisted Brown Truckers. He performed on such Kid Rock hits as “Cowboy” and “Bawitdaba” from Kid Rock’s 9-million-selling album “Devil Without a Cause.” Calleja had a solo tune on the “South Park” feature soundtrack. He also had a cameo on the cartoon TV series “The Simpsons.” “We have lost part of our family,” Kid Rock said in a statement. “In a world full of confusion, Joey made all of us laugh.” On Thursday night in his sleep at his parents’ home in Taylor, Mich., his hometown. The cause of death was not announced.