Jamaica has lost one of its most loved voices. Lt. Stitchie, born Cleveland Laing, passed away on Monday 28 September 2026 at Kingston Public Hospital. He was 60.

The veteran deejay had been fighting for his health since a serious stroke in September 2024. The stroke took away his speech and most of his movement, and he spent much of the last two years in hospital, supported by his family and by fans who gave through a GoFundMe appeal.

From Spanish Town sound systems to Atlantic Records

Stitchie came up the way so many greats did – on the sound systems of Spanish Town in the early 1980s. By 1988 he had signed with Atlantic Records, one of the first dancehall deejays to land a major US label deal. Tunes like Wear Yuh Size and Natty Dread, and the album Wild Jamaican Romances, made him a name far beyond Jamaica.

A second chapter in gospel

In 1997 Stitchie gave his life to Christ and took his gift into gospel and inspirational music, becoming one of the most respected figures in Caribbean gospel. He received an honorary doctorate in 2012, told his own story in an autobiography in 2014, and in 2021 Jamaica honoured him with the Order of Distinction (Officer rank) for his contribution to music.

From all of us at RTMRADIO.NET and the Rufftouch Movement family: rest in peace, Stitchie. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and fans around the world. His music stays in rotation.

Source: first reported by DancehallMag. Image: RTMRADIO.NET tribute artwork.