Lieutenant Stitchie

Cleveland "Cleve" Laing (29 September 1965 – 28 September 2026), better known as Lieutenant Stitchie and, from 1997, simply Stitchie, was a Jamaican deejay who came up in dancehall's formative years and then rebuilt his career as one of the pioneers of gospel reggae.

Laing was born in Spanish Town, St Catherine, and worked as a biology teacher there before music took over, for a time doing both. A former athlete, he began as a singer in the late 1970s, then moved onto sound systems in the mid-1980s — first Django (as DJ Ranking Noseworthy), releasing an early single as Ranking Citrus, or Citchie, for his love of citrus fruit — and then Stereo One, where a misprinted record label credited him as "Stitchie" and the name stuck. He came out of the same competitive Spanish Town scene as Papa San, Wickerman and Major Worries.

In 1986 he went to Prince Jammy and cut "Wear Yuh Size," a comic hit that made him a national name while he was still teaching; his debut album for Jammy's followed in 1987, issued as *Wear Yuh Size* at home and *Great Ambition* overseas. His style was humorous and theatrical, switching between several character voices within a single tune. "Natty Dread" topped the Jamaican charts for weeks. In 1988 he signed to Atlantic Records — one of the first dancehall artists on a major label — and released *The Governor* (1989), *Wild Jamaican Romances* (1991) and *Rude Boy* (1993), each named Album of the Year in Jamaica. He also appeared on LL Cool J's *14 Shots to the Dome*. Released from Atlantic in 1994, he returned to Kingston studios and producers including Donovan Germain, Danny Browne and King Jammy, scoring chart-topping singles with "Bun It Down," "Hello Carol" and "Hot Like the Sun," and released *Gangsta* (VP) and *Bangarang* (Shanachie) in 1995.

In August 1997 he was injured in a car crash on his way to perform at Reggae Sumfest in Montego Bay. He played the show bandaged, was given a Gideon Bible afterwards, and became a born-again Christian. He walked away from secular dancehall, dropped the "Lieutenant" from his name, and after a period of Bible study returned in 1999 with *To God Be the Glory*, the album that launched gospel reggae as a movement. Further albums followed on his own Drum & Bass label, including *Kingdom Ambassador* (2004) and *Real Life Story* (2007), and *Masterclass* (2019), featuring Agent Sasco and Fantan Mojah, won a Caribbean Afro Music Award for Best Album in 2021. He kept the respect of the dancehall throughout, returning to Sumfest as a gospel act and joining King Jammy's Living Legend tribute there in 2023.

He received an honorary doctorate from Cornerstone Christian University in Orlando, Florida, in 2012, and a second in 2021 for his prison-outreach and education work. His autobiography, *The Power of Determination*, was published in 2014, and he was inducted into the Jamaica Gospel Hall of Fame in January 2016. In October 2021 the Government of Jamaica appointed him to the Order of Distinction, Officer Class, for his contribution to reggae and dancehall music locally and internationally.

Stitchie suffered a debilitating stroke in the first week of September 2024 that left him unable to speak and with limited mobility. He died at Kingston Public Hospital on 28 September 2026, one day before his 61st birthday, after being admitted with a low blood count. He is survived by his wife, Sophia Laing, and their daughter.

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