Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff dies, aged 81

Jimmy Cliff, one of the most prominent and beloved proponents of reggae music, has died at the age of 81, his wife announced on Instagram on Monday.

“It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia. I am thankful for his family, friends, fellow artists, and coworkers who have shared his journey with him,” his wife, Latifa Chambers, wrote on Instagram.

A star since the 1960s, he helped to bring the sound of Jamaica to a global audience through hits such as Wonderful World, Beautiful People, and You Can Get It If You Really Want.

Cliff was born James Chambers in 1944 in St. James Parish, western Jamaica, in the middle of a hurricane that destroyed his family home.

The second-youngest of eight children, he grew up in poverty, singing in church and later taking the stage name Jimmy Cliff.