Legendary Jamaican singer, songwriter, and actor Jimmy Cliff, whose anthemic voice helped carry reggae music from the streets of Kingston to the world, died on November 24, 2025, at the age of 81.
His wife, Latifa Chambers, confirmed that the cause of death was a seizure followed by pneumonia.
Born James Chambers on July 30, 1944, in rural St. James Parish, Jamaica, Cliff began recording as a teenager and became one of the first Jamaican artists to achieve international success.
His breakthrough came with early ska and rocksteady hits in the 1960s, but it was his starring role in the groundbreaking 1972 film ‘The Harder They Come’ — and its iconic soundtrack — that cemented his place in history.
The movie introduced global audiences to the raw energy of reggae and the realities of Jamaican life, while Cliff’s songs from the film, including the defiant “You Can Get It If You Really Want” and the soul-stirring “Many Rivers to Cross,” became timeless anthems of perseverance and hope.
Cliff’s catalog also includes the uplifting global hit “I Can See Clearly Now” (1993), which topped charts decades after his early classics.
Over a career spanning more than sixty years, he earned two Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, and received Jamaica’s Order of Merit, the nation’s third-highest honor.
Known for lyrics that blended spiritual depth with calls for social justice and human dignity, Jimmy Cliff remained a towering figure in reggae long after its golden era. His passing marks the end of a chapter for a genre he helped define and export to the world.
Tributes have poured in from across the music community, with fans and fellow artists mourning the loss of a voice that, for generations, embodied resilience, joy, and the unbreakable spirit of Jamaica.
SOURCE
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