Jimmy Cliff, the Jamaican singer and actor who helped to put reggae on the global music map, has died at the age of 81.
An Instagram post shared by his wife Latifa Chambers said: “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.”
Born James Chambers in Saint James, Jamaica in 1944, his music career started in the early 1960s when he moved to the island’s capital Kingston and took up a creative partnership with producer Leslie Kong. He initially had some local hits, and released debut album Hard Road To Travel in 1967, but he broke through more widely after singing to Island Records later in the 60s.
After relocating to London, he initially struggled, and later spoke openly about the racism he experienced in the city. 1969 single ‘Wonderful World, Beautiful People’ was his first significant UK hit, reaching No. 6 in the charts. Blending ska with socially conscious lyrics, it provided a bedrock for what would become Cliff’s sound in the years to follow.
A further UK Top 10 hit followed in 1970 in the form of a cover of Cat Stevens’ ‘Wild World’. Cliff then starred in cult film The Harder They Come in 1972. Its accompanying soundtrack album, which featured a number of songs by Cliff including the hit ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’, helped to globalise the reach of Jamaican reggae music, with the sound reaching US audiences when the film was released there in 1973.
Cliff continued to release albums and tour through the 70s, but took some time out from the industry for a few years midway through the decade. It was during this time that he travelled to Africa and converted to Islam. 1978 album Give Thankx was influenced in part by that period.
Several more albums followed through the 80s, before his version of Johnny Nash’s ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ saw him feature in the UK Top 40 for the first time since 1970. The song appeared on the soundtrack to sports comedy film Cool Runnings, which was loosely based on the debut of the Jamaican national bobsleigh team at the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Over the course of his career, Cliff won two Grammys, and was nominated a total of seven times. His most recent album, 2022’s Refugees was made with Fugees’ Wyclef Jean, and rounded off a discography that spanned more than 30 studio albums.
