‘This is just a shock... mi can’t process it’

The music industry has been plunged into mourning following the sudden death of veteran deejay Leonard ‘Merciless’ Bartley. Reports are that the 51-year-old deejay was found on Tuesday afternoon face down inside a motel in St Andrew.

The deejay, who is known for songs such as Mavis, Lend Out Mi Mercy, Ole Gallis, Mama Cooking, Di Letter (to Mama) and God Alone, a collab with Little Hero and Action Fire, lived in Clarendon but would visit Kingston to attend studio.

Producer Miguel Smith told The Gleaner that he saw Merciless last week and spoke to him on Sunday. “He was at the hotel. Him have a arrangement with them that whenever he is in Kingston him stay there. His energy was high when him call mi, so mi surprise now to hear that him was feeling sick and vomiting. The energy was high same way. He told me that him ready to do a collab with Terry Linen and mi tell him mi ready. He also wanted to do an album for VP Records that I was going to produce. This is just a shock... mi can’t process it,” Smith said.

He described Merciless, aka Warhead, as “a family man” and shared that it was just a month ago that the deejay’s mother returned to Jamaica from overseas.

“Merciless look after him family... him look after him niece and nephew dem. Merciless people dem live near Chapelton side and the greatest thing was to be with him family. This a go lick dem hard,” the producer said.

Long-time collaborator, Little Hero, said he was “still in shock”. He spoke of Merciless’ jovial personality and hailed his writing skills and delivery.

“Merciless is a deejay who just love to rhyme. Our last collab was just before COVID ... Time and Prayer. And of course, we did have the big hit from back in the days. Condolences to the family,” Little Hero said.

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport Olivia Grange said she was saddened to learn of Merciless' death.

"It is really sad to lose another member of our music fraternity," said Grange in a release. She also extended condolences to his family, relatives, friends, associates and the music fraternity.

Merciless engaged in several high-profile battles in the late 1990s and 2000s with fellow deejays Beenie Man, Ninja Man, and Bounty Killer. He had an ongoing rivalry with Bounty Killer, but all that was squashed and they recorded a song together in 2000 titled No One Cares. One of his latest release was titled The World is Comng to an End.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com