Reggae artist Jimmy Cliff has died at the age of 81.
Cliff’s wife, Latifa Chambers, announced her husband’s death on Instagram, writing, “Jimmy, my darling, may you rest in peace.”
He died from pneumonia, The New York Times reported.
Cliff was born James Chambers in 1948 in St. James, Jamaica, as the eighth of nine children.
He started singing at the age of six in his local church, but by the time he was 14, he moved to Kingston, taking the stage name Cliff, to illustrate the heights he wanted to reach.
He recorded several songs before hitting the top of the charts with “Hurricane Hattie,” which he wrote, the BBC reported.
Cliff, according to the BBC, introduced the world to the music of Jamaica with hits such as “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” and “You Can Get It If You Really Want.”
Thanks to his role in the 1972 film “The Harder They Come,” he brought reggae to the U.S., the BBC said. Cliff performed four of the movie soundtrack’s 11 songs, The Associated Press reported.
Cliff won Grammys for “Cliff Hanger” and “Rebirth” and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. He was also awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit, according to Deadline.
His last album was 2022’s “Refugees,” Deadline reported.
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