Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Reggae Pioneer Jimmy Cliff Dies at 81; Family Cites Seizure Followed by Pneumonia

The Harder They Come star carried Jamaican music to global audiences across a six-decade career marked by Grammy wins and a Rock Hall induction.

Overview

  • His wife, Latifa Chambers, announced the death in a statement on Cliff’s official Instagram, attributing it to a seizure followed by pneumonia.
  • The post was signed by Chambers and their children, Lilty and Aken, who asked for privacy and said further information will be shared later.
  • Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness hailed Cliff as a “true cultural giant” whose music carried the nation’s heart to the world.
  • Cliff’s breakthrough with the 1972 film and soundtrack The Harder They Come helped popularize reggae internationally, alongside hits like You Can Get It If You Really Want and Many Rivers to Cross.
  • He earned two Grammy Awards and entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, and he is survived by his wife and children, including daughter Nabiyah Be.