Lt Stitchie needs help with medical expenses

Veteran deejay, Cleveland ‘Lt Stitchie’ Laing, is reportedly ill and “unresponsive” and Sophia Laing is requesting financial assistance from the public for his medical care.

Sophia has taken to the crowdfunding platform, GoFundMe, to seek financial assistance on his behalf. The details state that the gospel artiste, who first found fame on the secular stage, recently suffered a brain haemorrhage and will require ongoing medical care. The goal is US$100,000. As of press time, US$1,310 had been donated.

“We are reaching out to you during this incredibly challenging time. Our beloved Cleve ‘Lt Stitchie’ Laing, a husband, father, and friend, has recently suffered a severe brain haemorrhage that has left him unresponsive,” Sophia said in the GoFundMe which was set up three days ago.

“We urgently need you to join us to provide the help needed in a long-term care facility, where he can receive rehabilitation care. Your donation will make a difference by bringing hope to Lt Stitchie and his family during this difficult time. We are very grateful for your support to help cover the costs of his transfer, medical care, and living expenses in the long-term care home,” Sophia’s statement on GoFundMe said, adding that the generosity and prayers of fans “mean the world to us”.

Efforts to reach Sophia Laing proved futile, but a friend of the Laings, who asked not to be named, told The Gleaner that he and Sophia had discussed the GoFundMe on Sunday morning.

PRAYERS

Gospel minister, Papa San, who is based in Florida, has had a long history with Lt Stitchie, dating back to the ‘80s when they both ruled the dancehall. He is one of the persons who has been fervently praying for the sick entertainer and is planning a concert for January 4, in Mandeville, part proceeds of which will go towards assisting Stitchie.

“I called Stitchie and prayed with him on two occasions. The first time we had a really long talk, cause it had been a while since we spoke like that. Two weeks after I called him again and he answered and I prayed for him again,” Papa San told The Gleaner.

He added, “However, that was before he fell on stage in Canada. I heard that he had another stroke since then. I reached out to him again, but Stitchie just not responding to me or anybody else, because people calling me to say he’s not answering their calls. But that doesn’t stop us from doing what we are doing. We love Stitchie and we continue to lift him up in prayer and call on the artistes .... especially those in the body of Christ ... to do whatever they can to assist.”

In May of this year, Lt Stitchie was one of the artistes who performed at the Kings of Kings Wonderful Vibrations showcase in Toronto, Canada. A video circulated of him seeming to lose his balance and fall backwards as he stooped down during his performance. He was later given a chair to sit on for part of his performance. From that time, fans had been sending up prayers for the “Dancehall Govana”, who reportedly had the first stroke shortly after performing at Reggae Sumfest in 2023.

CAREER

Lt Stitchie was born on September 29, 1965 and has had a storied career in both the secular and gospel arenas. From teaching biology to students at a school in Spanish Town, Stitchie would go on to get his feet soaked in the dancehall and made a lasting impression with the 1986 hit single, Wear Yuh Size. His style of mixing music and humour secured for him a loyal fan base and he found favour with the then Prince Jammy. His first album, Great Ambition, was released one year later.

According to his bio on Wikipedia, Stitchie’s single, Natty Dread, topped the Jamaican charts for 14 weeks and this commercial success led to a record deal with Atlantic Records in 1988. Stitchie is acknowledged as one of the first dancehall artistes to sign a deal with a major record label. Among the albums he released during this period were The Governor, Wild Jamaican Romances, and Rude Boy.

In 1997, Stitchie stepped over into gospel reggae after surviving a car crash. He released his first gospel reggae album, To God Be the Glory in 1999 and has been actively releasing music ever since.

Among his accolades are Outstanding Male Reggae Vocal Performance of the Year award at the Caribbean Gospel Music Marlin Awards in 2002; an honorary doctorate from the Cornerstone Christian University in Orlando, Florida; induction into the Gospel Hall of Fame in January 2016; and in 2021, the Government inducted him into the Order of Distinction for his contribution to Jamaican music.

Stitchie’s autobiography, The Power of Determination, was published a decade ago.

yasmine.peru@gleanerjm.com