Tribute As Reggae Icon Jimmy Cliff Dies At 81

Jimmy Cliff, one of the iconic singers who transformed reggae into a global phenomenon, has passed away at the age of 81.

A message from his wife, Latifa Chambers, on Instagram reads: “It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia. I am thankful for his family, friends, fellow artists and coworkers who have shared his journey with him. To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his greatest strength throughout his entire career. Jimmy, my darling, may you rest in peace. I will follow your wishes.” Her message was also signed by their children, Lilty and Aken.

With hits including You Can Get It If You Really Want, I Can See Clearly Now and Wonderful World, Beautiful People, Cliff’s upbeat musical temperament brought him a large and longstanding fanbase. His lead acting role in the 1972 crime drama The Harder They Come was also acclaimed, with the film seen as a cornerstone of Jamaican cinema.

He is one of just a handful of musicians, alongside Bob Marley and others, to be awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness was among those paying tribute to Cliff, calling him “a true cultural giant whose music carried the heart of our nation to the world … Jimmy Cliff told our story with honesty and soul.

His music lifted people through hard times, inspired generations, and helped to shape the global respect for Jamaican culture.

Cliff was born in Saint James, Jamaica, in 1944, and his music career began in the early 1960s after he moved to the island’s capital, Kingston and began collaborating with producer Leslie Kong. Kong’s family owned a record shop called Beverley’s, and Cliff wrote a song namechecking it to help persuade Kong, who would go on to become a key producer in reggae, to work with him.