Global music icon passes away

Jimmy Cliff, one of the most famous and beloved figures of reggae music, has died at the age of 81, reports the BBC.

The star of the 1960s brought Jamaican music to a global audience with hits like “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” and “You Can Get It If You Really Want.” His leading role in the film “The Harder They Come” (1972) made reggae known in America, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

His wife, Latifa Chambers, announced his death, saying he passed away due to an epileptic seizure followed by pneumonia. The news was also signed by their children, Lilty and Aken.

Born James Chambers in 1944, he grew up in poverty in St. James, Jamaica, and began singing in church at the age of 6. At 14, he moved to Kingston and took the surname Cliff. He became known with the song “Hurricane Hattie” and later with “Wonderful World, Beautiful People” and “Vietnam,” the latter described by Bob Dylan as “the best protest song ever written.”

His role in “The Harder They Come” and the songs from its soundtrack, including “Many Rivers To Cross,” gave him international success and made the film a symbol of Jamaican culture.

Throughout his career, he collaborated with the Rolling Stones, regained U.S. success with “I Can See Clearly Now” (1993), and released the Grammy-winning albums “Cliff Hanger” (1985) and “Rebirth” (2012). In 2010, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Cliff continued performing well into later years, appearing at Glastonbury (2003) and Coachella (2010). In 2003, he received Jamaica’s Order of Merit, but he always valued his bond with fans above any honor.

For him, “great success” was when someone told him that his songs had changed their life.