Fact Check: Is Supercat dead? Death claim debunked 

Jamaican deejay William Anthony Maragh, professionally known as Supercat, has been rumored to be dead. Twitter account @ROUTzJamaica shared a tweet on July 12, stating that the deejay's Wikipedia page says that he has died.

The tweet containing the news of his supposed death shared a screenshot of the Wikipedia bio of the 60-year-old deejay, where it was stated that he died on July 12, 2023. A TikTok video by @pinksreeaxc was also shared in the same tweet. The video claimed on its text overlay that the legendary deejay passed away just moments ago.

ROUTz Jamaica wrote in the caption that they were receiving clips in their inbox and though the news is not confirmed yet, if the deejay did die, it is a big loss. The account also honored Supercat as a “true legend”.

Maragh has been a major figure in the dancehall movement from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. He was nicknamed “Wild Apache” by Early B, who was his mentor. Maragh is considered one of the legendary deejays in Jamaican dancehall history.

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Supercat is not dead: Confirms his road manager

After the initial tweet containing the alleged news of William Anthony Maragh's death, @ROUTzJamaica added an update in the same tweet thread after about an hour and debunked the death hoax.

It shared a new screenshot of the deejay’s Wikipedia page where the “Died” part along with the false date of death had been removed. @ROUTzJamaica wrote that since Wiki removed it, the news is likely untrue.

Additionally, Supercat’s road manager, Jimmy Thomas, who is also a veteran sound system expert, dismissed the rumors about the deejay’s death. In a conversation with THE STAR, Jimmy said:

"Cat is not dead. I get hundreds of calls from morning. Everybody from Jamaica call me because I am the person that they call when they want dubplates from Cat, and so they have my number. Cat is in Atlanta ... but he's on his way to New York just now. I spoke to his manager this morning and Cat was right beside him. Everything is fine ... Cat is alive and well."

He further said that people love to keep up with these foolishness for a “like” on social media, after which these hoaxes blow out of proportion. Jimmy shared that he was currently in Canada, adding that later this week, he would meet up with Maragh in New York.

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Supercat helped pioneer the reggae fusion

The deejay, who is also noted as danceheall’s Don Dadda, performed at the 2023 BET Awards ceremony on June 25, which was also his 60th birthday. The ceremony honored veteran hip-hop star Busta Rhymes.

Some of William Anthony Maragh’s dancehall hits include Nuff Man A Dead, Dolly My Baby, Ghetto Red Hot, and Boops. He was one of the first deejays of Jamaican descent to break through the deejaying scene in the U.S. Market. Supercat helped pioneer the reggae fusion - the blend of dancehall with R&B and Hip Hop.

Maragh collaborated with the rising stars at that time like Heavy D, Method Man from Wu-Tang Clan, Puff Daddy, Mary J. Bilge, Cypress Hill’s DJ Muggs, and Kris Kross.