Reggae icon Jimmy Cliff, the globally celebrated musician who helped propel Jamaica’s rhythmic sound onto the world stage, has died at the age of 81, his wife announced on Monday.
“It is with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia,” his wife, Latifa Chambers, wrote on his official Instagram account.
“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 strength throughout his whole career.”
For more than four decades, Cliff wrote and performed songs that blended reggae with elements of folk, soul, ska and rock, while addressing political issues, poverty, injustice and war.
A multi-instrumentalist and hitmaker behind classics like “You Can Get It If You Really Want” and “The Harder They Come,” Cliff is regarded as the most influential reggae figure after the late Bob Marley, with whom he collaborated early in Marley’s rise.
His international breakthrough came with the 1972 film “The Harder They Come,” in which he starred. The movie, partly inspired by his own experiences growing up in poverty, catapulted both Cliff and reggae music into global recognition.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Andrew Holness, said the nation was pausing to honour Cliff, describing him as “a true cultural giant whose music carried the heart of our nation to the world.”
“His music lifted people through hard times, inspired generations, and helped to shape the global respect that Jamaican culture enjoys today,” Holness added.
“Walk good, Jimmy Cliff. Your legacy lives on in every corner of our island and in the hearts of the Jamaican people.”
