Dancehall artiste Alkaline loses father
Published:Wednesday | July 19, 2023 | 12:06 AMAndre Williams/Staff Reporter
Top flight dancehall entertainer Alkaline and his family are mourning the death of his father, who passed recently.
The nine night is scheduled for today at a private location in the Corporate Area.
His father, Earl Bartley, more popularly known as ‘Rooster’, reportedly died last week.
The entertainer, whose birth name is Earlan Bartley, has not made any clear public pronouncements on the loss.
In a recent post on social media, the entertainer turned off the comments, leaving fans to wonder.
Confirmation of the elder Bartley’s death came by Alkaline’s sister and manager, Kerry.
When contacted, she told The Gleaner that their dad had transitioned.
“He has passed … . I don’t know what to say in a situation like this,” she said in a sombre tone.
When asked how her star sibling was handling the death, Kerry said she could not really speak for the entertainer in a situation like this.
“I can only speak for myself. That’s just the truth of what it is,” she said, while confirming that reports of Bartley’s nine night for Wednesday.
She told The Gleaner that many people have respected their privacy since learning of their father’s death and they want that to continue.
The nature of the illness was not disclosed, but Kerry said their dad passed peacefully and was surrounded by family.
Earlier this month, The Gleaner made contact with the family after learning the elder Bartley was ill.
A representative had said at the time that “he was not doing well”.
Residents in the upper St Andrew community where the elder Bartley lived expressed surprise on learning of his death.
“It shocking to me. I saw Rooster a few weeks ago and he looked fine but you never know with this thing called sickness. He was not a problem to anyone around. I saw him wear his Vendetta shirt a few times and he used to ride a bike. But outside of that you would not readily know his son was the superstar … . I heard they took him on tour with them recently too,” the resident told The Gleaner.
There is rare footage of Alkaline and his father driving in a Benz SUV, seemingly cruising on a highway in Jamaica.
A few years ago, the amateur clip surfaced online and was still there yesterday.
The entertainer has made reference to his father in at least two songs, one of which was the diss song Death Announcement done in lyrical battle with Six boss, Squash.
In the song, Alkaline deejays, “Cyaan see Rooster dawg and mek no foul play. You we get corn without the flakes, you just a lip man don’t play.”
Alkaline is also heard paying homage to his mother Charmaine in several songs.