Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican reggae star and actor, dead at 81

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Monday, November 24, 2025
Jimmy Cliff, Jamaican reggae star and actor, dead at 81

Jimmy Cliff, a Grammy award-winning Jamaican reggae star and actor, is dead at 81, according to his family.

"It's with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia," Latifa Chambers, Cliff's wife, said in a post on his official Instagram account.

Jimmy Cliff seen at Riot Fest & Carnival in Douglas Park on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015 in Chicago.
Jimmy Cliff seen at Riot Fest & Carnival in Douglas Park on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015 in Chicago.
Photo by Barry Brecheisen/Invision/AP

Cliff's award-winning career as a musician spanned decades and included some of reggae's most memorable hits, including "Many Rivers to Cross."

Two other hits -- "You Can Get It If You Really Want" and "The Harder They Come" -- were standouts on the official soundtrack for a 1972 film, also titled "The Harder They Come," that featured Cliff as its star.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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