Dancehall musician Alkaline is grappling with the loss of his father, Earl Bartley, also known as ‘Rooster’, who recently passed away.
Kerry Beckford, Alkaline’s manager, confirmed the unfortunate news on Tuesday. While she did not elaborate further on the matter, she indicated that a private nine-night commemoration event will be organized on Wednesday. This event will allow close friends and relatives to gather and pay their final respects to the departed.
The cause of Bartley’s death is yet to be disclosed as the family prefers to maintain privacy on this matter. According to Beckford, Bartley passed away peacefully, in the company of his children and other close family members.
Alkaline has not made any public acknowledgment regarding his father’s death yet. However, the artist has noticeably removed his Instagram display picture and disabled the option to comment on his posts.
There have been reports that Bartley was battling a serious illness for some time. Still, his death has come as a surprise to many, as friends and family did not anticipate that his condition would be terminal.
Adding to the narrative, a seldom-seen video exists, featuring Alkaline and his father enjoying a ride in a Benz SUV, seemingly on a highway in Jamaica. This candid clip surfaced on the internet a few years ago and remained available until recently.
The artist’s relationship with his father has been subtly portrayed in his music. Alkaline has made references to his father in at least two songs, one of which includes a diss track, ‘Death Announcement’, from a lyrical feud with Six boss, Squash. In this song, Alkaline raps, “Cyaan see Rooster dawg and mek no foul play. You we get corn without the flakes, you just a lip man don’t play.”
In addition to honoring his father, Alkaline has also shown appreciation for his mother, Charmaine, in several of his songs.