Andrea Stewart, Wife Of Reggae Artist Tinga Stewart, Dies Suddenly

The music industry has been plunged into mourning yet again with the sudden death of Andrea Stewart, the wife of reggae singer Tinga Stewart. She died on Thursday morning at the University Hospital of the West Indies, reportedly from complications stemming from a blood clot in her lungs.

“Andrea was one of the most beautiful and caring souls one could ever know. On behalf of myself, JAVAA, Fab 5 and the music industry I extend condolences to the family and friends of Andrea. May her soul rest in peace. I really admired and loved Andrea from the day she met Tinga at a JAVAA meeting in Half-Way-Tree,” Frankie Campbell, Fab 5’s bass player and chairman of the Jamaica Association of Vintage Artists and Affiliates (JAVAA), told DancehallMag.

Campbell said that the 41-year-old was a tower of strength for Tinga since he became ill three years ago. Campbell said that Stewart, who is asthmatic, began to experience breathing problems last week and was finally hospitalized earlier this week.

“The doctors said she had a clot in her lungs, but we don’t know exactly what happened, but that will have to wait until the autopsy. She died at about 2:30 on Thursday morning at UHWI,” he said.

Tinga Stewart, a two-time Festival Song Contest winner, turned 71 last year on July 3. The veteran singer has battled depression in the past three years and shown little interest in music. He is not taking the death of his wife of 10 years particularly well.

“He is not taking it well. He has been sick for three and a half years, a strange illness that happened overnight, it’s a mystery to all of us in the industry, but Andrea was like a rock to him. She was a beautiful person, she did everything for him. She organized his drive through birthday party at his Patrick City home last year where a lot of musicians passed through and blessed him up. She was great. My heart is broken,” Campbell said.

The older of two brothers (the other being Roman) who won the Festival Song Contest, Tinga Stewart first won the event in 1974 with Play de Music. Seven years later, he won with Nuh wey nuh Better Than Yard.

He wrote Hooray Festival for Roman, which won the 1975 contest.

Tinga Stewart’s hit songs also include Cover Me and Take Time to Know with Ninjaman, and Inside my Heart.