Jamaican-born James Chambers, popularly known as Jimmy Cliff, the charismatic reggae pioneer and actor who preached joy, defiance and resilience in his classics, has died at 81.
His wife, Latifa Chambers who announced his death on social media on Monday,November 24,2025,gave the cause as a seizure followed by pneumonia.
She wrote on the ‘Jimmy Cliff’ media handle:”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.
“To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career.
“He really appreciated each and every fan for their love. I also wanted to thank Dr. Couceyro and the whole medical staff, as they have been extremely supportive and helpful during this difficult process.
“Jimmy, my darling, may you rest in peace. I will follow your wishes. I hope you all can respect our privacy during these hard times.
“Further information will be provided at a later date.
See you and we see you Legend”.
Her message was also signed by their children, Lilty and Aken.
With hits including ‘You Can Get It If You Really Want’, ‘I Can See Clearly Now’ and ‘Wonderful World, Beautiful People’, Cliff’s upbeat musical temperament brought him a large and longstanding fanbase.
His lead acting role in 1972 crime drama ‘The Harder They Come’ was also acclaimed, with the film seen as a cornerstone of Jamaican cinema.
He was one of just a handful of musicians, alongside Bob Marley and others, to be awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit.
Jamaican prime minister Andrew Holness was among those who paid tribute to Cliff, calling him “a true cultural giant whose music carried the heart of our nation to the world … Jimmy Cliff told our story with honesty and soul. His music lifted people through hard times, inspired generations, and helped to shape the global respect that Jamaican culture enjoys today.”
Cliff was born in Saint James, Jamaica in 1944, and his music career began in the early 1960s after he moved to the island’s capital Kingston and began collaborating with producer Leslie Kong.
Kong’s family owned a record shop called Beverley’s and Cliff wrote a song namechecking it to help persuade Kong – who would go on to become key producer in reggae – to work with him.
He had a number of local hits and was selected as a Jamaican representative at the World’s Fair expo in New York in 1964, but his career really took off later that decade after he signed to Island Records.
Cliff continued to tour and release albums in the 1970s, and had high-profile appearances in the US such as a booking on Saturday Night Live.
He took some time away from music in the mid-late 1970s, travelling to Africa to reconnect with his ancestral roots, and converting to Islam: the 1978 album Give Thankx was partly inspired by those travels.
Bruce Springsteen championed his song Trapped by playing it on tour in the early 1980s, and a live version appeared on the massive-selling charity album We Are the World.
Cliff collaborated with numerous other artists over the years from the Rolling Stones to Sting.
More recently he worked with the lead singer of punk band Rancid, Tim Armstrong, on an EP and album, the latter winning a Grammy for best reggae album – one of two wins from seven nominations over the years.
Cliff’s most recent album is 2022’s Refugees, made with Wyclef Jean, capping a discography of more than 30 studio albums.
Despite the success of The Harder They Come, Cliff only occasionally returned to acting, most prominently with 1986’s Club Paradise, opposite Robin Williams, Rick Moranis and more.
