Dancehall entertainer Merciless found dead in hotel room

Jamaican dancehall entertainer Merciless was found dead in a hotel room near Lyndhurst Road in St. Andrew earlier today. Initial reports suggest that the DJ died from natural causes.

Merciless, whose given name is Leonard Bartley was born on 1 July 1971 in the Turner district of Chapelton, Clarendon, Jamaica.

Merciless first found success performing with sound systems across Jamaica. He made his recording début in 1994 with "Lend Out Mi Mercy", which was a hit in Jamaica and elsewhere, and a string of further hits followed, including "Mavis", which was the top reggae single in Jamaica in 1995 and used the same riddim as Shaggy's "Mr. Boombastic". Like several other dancehall stars, he adopted 'conscious' lyrical content in the late 1990s. He is similar in sound to fellow artist Bounty Killer

He is also known by the nickname "Warhead", and engaged in several high-profile on-stage 'battles' in the late 1990s and 2000s with fellow deejays Beenie Man, Ninjaman, and Bounty Killer. His rivalry with Bounty Killer did not prevent the two from recording together, with "No One Cares" released in 2000.