Jimmy Cliff, one of the earliest originators of reggae has died in Kingston, Jamaica, at the age of 81 after a debilitating bout of pneumonia, his family confirmed on Monday.
His wife, Latifa Chambers in a statement on Instagram shortly after Cliff died on Monday said her husband ”has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia”.
Latifa with whom he had two children said she remains thankful for his family, friends, fellow artists and coworkers ”who have shared his journey with him”.
She said Cliff’s fans around the world were his strength throughout his illustrious career.
Cliff who was born James Chambers distingished himself in the late 1960s and 1970s as multi-instrumentalist reggae and ska singer as well as an actor.
Jimmy Cliff’s notable works some of which catapulted him to global stardom include the internationally acclaimed Wonderful World, Beautiful People and The Harder they Come, which was the soundtrack to a move of the same name which captivate viewers in the United States and introduced American audience to reggae as a music genre.
The musician who once topped the Jamaican charts with Hurricane Hattie was also cultivated millions of fans in Africa especially from the 1960s to the 1990s.
The former church singer who began cutting his teeth at the age of six had a melodious voice which made his music unforgettable, his fans say, while paying tribute to him.
Bob Dylan once described his Vietnam song over the war in vietnam as the best protest song ever.
Ali Campbell, of British reggae band UB40 in a tribute on X described Cliff as ”a true foundation, a pillar of our music, and one of the first to carry reggae out into the world.
Cliff who adoped the surname to reveal his ambition of scaling the heights of musical achievement described his music as a conribution to the human struggle for dignity.
WN/as/APA