Reggae Music Legend Jimmy Cliff Dies at 81

Jimmy Cliff, the soft-voiced singer who helped bring reggae music to global prominence, has died at the age of 81, his wife Latifa Chambers announced Monday on her Instagram account.

Latifa said: “It is with deep sorrow that I announce the passing of my husband, Jimmy Cliff, due to a seizure followed by pneumonia.” 

She added: “I am grateful to his family, friends, fellow artists, and colleagues who shared his journey. To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was a source of strength for him throughout his career. He truly appreciated every fan for their love.”

With hit songs such as “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” “The Harder They Come,” and “Wonderful World, Beautiful People,” Cliff achieved global success. 

He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, becoming the only Jamaican artist after Bob Marley to receive this honor.

Beyond his music, he became widely known for his starring role in the 1972 film The Harder They Come, in which he played Ivan Martin, a young man who moves to Jamaica's capital, Kingston, in hopes of entering the music world, only to drift into crime.

The film, along with its soundtrack, to which Cliff contributed many songs, played a major role in popularizing reggae in the United States and helped cement Cliff’s status as a star.

Cliff’s life story mirrors that of “Martin” to some extent. 

Born James Chambers in 1944 in Saint James Parish in western Jamaica, during a hurricane that destroyed his family home, he was the second youngest of eight siblings. He grew up poor, singing in church, and later adopted the stage name Jimmy Cliff.

He moved to Kingston in 1961 and achieved early success at age 14 when his song “Hurricane Hattie” topped Jamaican music charts. Shortly after, he moved to London to further his career, where he recorded his first album featuring elements of R&B.

Before returning to Jamaica, Cliff’s fame had grown significantly. By 1970, he had three singles on the UK charts: “Wonderful World, Beautiful People,” “Vietnam," which Bob Dylan once called “the greatest protest song ever written," and a re-imagined version of Cat Stevens’ “Wild World.”

He later collaborated with major artists and bands such as The Rolling Stones, Elvis Costello, Annie Lennox, and Paul Simon, and recorded “I Can See Clearly Now” for the soundtrack of the 1993 film Cool Runnings.

Cliff’s influence reached such heights that Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness praised him following his death in a statement included in his album X, calling him “a true cultural giant whose music carried the heart of our nation to the world.”