Lt Stitchie, dancehall icon who found new calling in gospel, dies at 60
Written by tropixx105 on September 29, 2026
(Jamaica Observer) – Veteran deejay Lieutenant Stitchie has died.
Observer Online understands that the entertainer, whose given name was Cleveland “Cleve” Laing, died at hospital on Monday, just one day before he would have celebrated his 61st birthday.
The tragic news comes less than 24 hours after the entertainer’s wife, Sophia Laing confirmed that he had been hospitalised with a low blood count and was receiving treatment at the Kingston Public Hospital.
The pioneering dancehall entertainer whose career spanned the formative years of the genre before he made a transition to gospel music, had been ailing for some time. His health issued stemmed largely from a debilitating stroke in the first week of September 2024.
Stitchie emerged from the competitive sound-system culture of Spanish Town in the early 1980s, working alongside figures including Papa San, Wickerman and Major Worries. His breakthrough came in 1986 with the humorous Wear Yuh Size, followed by Natty Dread, before his career expanded internationally with a recording deal with Atlantic Records in 1988.
