R.I.P. reggae legend Jimmy Cliff

Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff has died, according to a report from the BBC. He was 81.

Cliff’s wife Latifa Chambers made the announcement via Instagram.

“It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia,” she wrote.

“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.

“Jimmy, my darling, may you rest in peace. I will follow your wishes.”

Jimmy Cliff first gained popularity in the 1960s, one of reggae music’s earliest stars. Born James Chambers in 1944 in Kingston, Jamaica, he was one of nine children, and began singing in church at six years old. At 14, he adopted the name Jimmy Cliff and began his musical career not long thereafter, releasing his debut single “Hurricane Hattie” in 1962, which became a hit in his native Jamaica.

In 1965, Cliff relocated to London to work with Island Records, but it took some time for the partnership to bear fruit. In 1969, he eventually landed a hit with “Wonderful World, Beautiful People,” as featured on his acclaimed self-titled album of the same year, which also featured enduring classics such as “Many Rivers to Cross.”

In 1972, he had an international hit with “The Harder They Come,” the title song from the film of the same name, which also starred Cliff as a musician trying to break into Jamaica’s corrupt music industry. He contributed four songs to the soundtrack, one of the greatest albums of the 1970s, which also featured Toots & the Maytals and Desmond Dekker.

Cliff collaborated with the Rolling Stones on their album Dirty Work and made a return to the charts in 1993 with “I Can See Clearly Now” on the soundtrack to Cool Runnings.

Jimmy Cliff was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.