Reggae icon, Jimmy Cliff, one of the most prominent and beloved proponents of reggae music, died on Monday, at the age of 81.
A star since the 1960s, Cliff helped bring the sound of Jamaica to a global audience with hits including Wonderful World, Beautiful People and You Can Get It If You Really Want.
He also starred as a gun-toting rebel in the 1972 crime drama The Harder They Come, a cornerstone of Jamaican cinema, widely credited with introducing reggae to America.
Using the late icon’s official Instagram account on Monday, Cliff’s wife, Latifa Chambers, announced his death.
“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 strength throughout his whole career.
“Jimmy, my darling, may you rest in peace. I will follow your wishes,” she wrote.
The message was also signed by their children, Lilty and Aken.
Born James Chambers in 1948, Cliff grew up as the eighth of nine children in abject poverty in the parish of St. James, Jamaica.
He began singing at his local church at the age of six, and by 14 had moved to Kingston, adopting the surname Cliff to reflect the heights he intended to reach.
He recorded several singles before topping the Jamaican charts with his composition Hurricane Hattie. In 1965, he moved to London to work with Island Records—later home to Bob Marley—though early attempts to adapt his sound to rock audiences were not fully successful.
Cliff struck gold with the 1969 single Wonderful World, Beautiful People—an upbeat anthem—and the politically charged Vietnam, which Bob Dylan called “the best protest song ever written.”
Cliff became an international star with The Harder They Come, playing Ivan Martin, a young man trying to break into Jamaica’s corrupt music industry.
“The film opened the door for Jamaica,” Cliff recalled. “It said, ‘This is where this music comes from.’”
His later works included Grammy-winning albums Cliff Hanger (1985) and Rebirth (2012). He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.
