Dancehall veteran Merciless has died.
The full details surrounding his death are not yet known, but multiple sources confirmed with Urban Islandz that the veteran deejay, whose real name is Leonard Bartley, passed away on Tuesday, July 19. We’re told that an associate of the deejay found his lifeless body at the Harlem Resort hotel before summoning police officers.
Sources told us that his friends and family became worried when they didn’t hear from him and went to check on him at the hotel on Walkers Avenue when they uncovered his body. Merciless was pronounced dead at the scene when cops arrived. Law enforcement sources told Urban Islandz that there appears to be no foul play, but cops are fully investigating his death. It also appears that the artist was drinking heavily before his passing.
A video of his body has been making the rounds on social media, which we will not share out of respect for his family.
Merciless was working on new music before his death. Last year he announced that he has an album in the works and was reportedly in talks for a major performance at an upcoming event. It’s unclear how much of the album he had already recorded, but he has a lot of unreleased music to put out an album or two.
Last year, Bounty Killer spoke on Merciless influence in dancehall, where he labeled him a “wicked” artiste with a lot of flaws.
“Gad a di grung after sting 97 mi tek up Lenard a mentor him,” Killer wrote. “Took him to my bday celebration It’s A Party 99 where he called me his father then 2000 lost his way from then on I guess wicked artiste but a crazy person.”
