Reggae Legend And Jamaican Icon, Jimmy Cliff Is Dead

Jimmy Cliff, the legendary musician who expanded the popularity of reggae around the world, has died, his family announced Monday on his official Instagram account.

He was 81.

“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,” his wife, Latifa Chambers, wrote on Instagram.

He was best known for songs including “Many Rivers to Cross” and “The Harder They Come,” the title song for the movie of the same name from 1972, which featured Cliff. The film’s soundtrack was a major international success and helped spread the appeal of Jamaican reggae.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a statement: “His music lifted people through hard times, inspired generations, and helped to shape the global respect that Jamaican culture enjoys today.”

Tributes poured in from the musical world, including many from artists whom Cliff inspired.

“A true foundation, a pillar of our music, and one of the first to carry reggae out into the world,” Ali Campbell, of the British reggae group UB40, said in a message on X.

Born in Jamaica in 1944, Cliff scored his first local hit aged just 14 with “Hurricane Hattie” and would go on to win two Grammy awards and pick up seven nominations.

He was only one of two Jamaicans to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, alongside Bob Marley. He was inducted in 2010, with an introductory speech from Wyclef Jean. An essay commemorating Cliff from writer Rob Bowman said that if he had done nothing but star in “The Harder They Come,” he would have merited inclusion.

Cliff was a foundational figure in the Jamaican reggae scene. He worked as an A&R man, discovering new talent for Beverley’s Records. This legendary label promoted ska, rocksteady and eventually reggae, and played a role in the discovery of both Desmond Dekker and a young Bob Marley.

A prolific artist well into later life, Cliff collaborated with a string of non-reggae musicians, including the Rolling Stones and Paul Simon. At the same time, the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Willie Nelson have recorded versions of his songs.

Cliff’s song “Vietnam” was declared by Bob Dylan to be the “greatest protest song ever written,” according to Cliff’s website.

After a creative resurgence in 2012 with the Grammy-winning album “Rebirth,” Cliff said, according to his website: “Now, I feel I have not completed what I’m here on this planet to do. I have to say what I have to say and do what I have to do via music and films. Every morning I wake up, that keeps me going.”