Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff passes away at 81 after suffering seizure and pneumonia

Highlights:

• Family says Jimmy Cliff died after a seizure and pneumonia
• Tributes pouring in from Jamaica and music circles worldwide
• Star of The Harder They Come, key voice in reggae’s rise
• Hits like You Can Get It If You Really Want shaped generations

Jimmy Cliff’s family has confirmed that the 81-year-old singer and actor died after a seizure and pneumonia, with his wife Latifa Chambers sharing the news in a brief statement of thanks.

Jimmy Cliff performing live during his career Getty Images

Why Jimmy Cliff's death feels like the end of an era

Jimmy Cliff was not someone you discovered by accident. His songs travelled because people passed them around, long before reggae had any real push overseas.

He first made noise in the late 60s with Wonderful World, Beautiful People. You Can Get It If You Really Want came soon after and stuck. The sound was upbeat on the surface, but the lines he wrote often came from tough places. You could hear everyday life in them.

How Jimmy Cliff built a global audience

He grew up in St James, part of a big family. When he was still young, he moved to Kingston to chase music. He played wherever he could until producers started noticing him. His early work with producer Leslie Kong pushed his voice onto Jamaican radio, long before he arrived in London in the mid-60s.

Those London years were not easy. He spoke often about racism and feeling cut off from home. But that same period gave him Vietnam, the protest track Bob Dylan once praised. By the early 70s, he had become the face of a sound many listeners outside Jamaica were hearing for the first time.

The Harder They Come remains one of Jimmy Cliff’s most iconic worksGetty Images

How The Harder They Come changed everything

The 1972 film was not expected to travel far, but it did. Cliff’s role as Ivan Martin, a young man chasing a music dream inside a crooked system, hit a nerve. The soundtrack, led by the title song and Many Rivers To Cross, carried reggae into US cinemas and university campuses.

Fans remember Jimmy Cliff after news of his death Getty Images

Where his music stood in later years

Cliff never really stepped away, even when the spotlight shifted. He toured through the 80s, worked with the Rolling Stones and later found new fame with I Can See Clearly Now from Cool Runnings. He won two Grammys, joined the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, and kept recording, including Rebirth with Tim Armstrong and 2022’s Refugees with Wyclef Jean.

Family confirms Jimmy Cliff has died at 81 following seizure and pneumoniaGetty Images

Fans often said his songs pushed them through tough times. He seemed to take that seriously. Latifa Chambers said more details will come later, asking for privacy.