Dancehall and gospel reggae icon Lt. Stitchie has died

Jamaican music has lost one of its distinctive voices. Lt. Stitchie, the veteran dancehall deejay who later reinvented himself as a gospel reggae artist, died at Kingston Public Hospital on Monday, September 28. He was just one day short of his 61st birthday.

Stitchie had been struggling with health problems for some time, particularly after suffering a debilitating stroke in September 2024.

Born Cleveland Laing in 1965, Rev. Dr. Lt. Stitchie O.D. grew up in Spanish Town and entered music at just 14 as a singer. It didn’t take long before deejaying became his thing. He worked with sound systems such as Django, City Lights and Stereo One, and in 1983 won a parish deejay contest.

Music eventually took over from his original career as a high school teacher. He first called himself Citchie, inspired by his love of citrus fruit, but a label typo on his second single turned the name into Stitchie. That accidental spelling would become part of Jamaican music history.

His career took a major step forward in 1986 when he started working with King Jammy. The following year, Stitchie became Lieutenant, was named Jamaica’s “DJ Of The Year” and released Great Ambition, better known as Wear Yu Size.

The album delivered two major hits, Wear Yu Size and Broad Hips. The former became his best-known song, topping the charts in both Jamaica and England. Natty Dread, meanwhile, showed another side of the deejay and generated its share of controversy with its playful jab at Rasta culture.

Then came another major breakthrough. In 1988, Stitchie became the first dancehall reggae artist to sign with a major US label when Atlantic Records brought him on board. He made three albums for Atlantic during the next five years.

Stitchie eventually stepped away from the spotlight for a while, but returned strongly in the second half of the 1990s. And if you’ve heard his early recordings, you’ll know what made him stand out. He had a natural gift for storytelling, a sharp sense of humour and the ability to switch between different voices which gave his performances an extra dimension.

There was also a deeper side to Stitchie that would eventually change the direction of his entire career. The death of his mother in 1995 made him think seriously about life and eternity. Then came the accident that nearly ended his life. On August 7, 1997, while travelling to perform at Reggae Sumfest, Stitchie was involved in a serious car crash. Despite being badly injured, he still made it to the festival stage that night.

The experience left a lasting mark. Stitchie became increasingly serious about his faith, was discipled, attended Bible college and eventually left secular music behind. From that point on, he focused on writing and performing Christian material.

The transformation wasn’t a short-lived change of direction. Stitchie went on to record several gospel albums and established himself as a respected gospel reggae artist. Kingdom Ambassador earned several awards, including Top Gospel Artiste for the Caribbean in 2005.

His song Fast And Pray also made a little history of its own when it was nominated for Song of the Year at a secular awards show. It was the first gospel song to receive a nomination in that category.

From Citchie to Stitchie, from sound system deejay to Atlantic Records artist, and eventually from dancehall veteran to gospel ambassador, Lt. Stitchie’s journey was anything but ordinary. His music changed direction, but his ability to entertain, tell a story and reach an audience never left him.

Our sincere condolences to his family and friends May his soul rest in peace.

(Photo by Teacher, 2007)