Jimmy Cliff — born James Chambers in St James, Jamaica — died on 24 November 2025 at the age of 81, his wife Latifa Chambers announced. BBC News reported her statement on Instagram: “It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia.” The message, also signed by their children Lilty and Aken, thanked fans worldwide: “Your support was his strength throughout his whole career.”

Confirmations

The Associated Press confirmed the death in New York, noting that Cliff’s wife and three children posted the same cause on his social media accounts. Reuters reported from Kingston that Latifa Chambers announced his passing on Facebook on Monday, 24 November. All three wire services described him as a reggae pioneer who, alongside Bob Marley, popularised reggae, ska and rocksteady over a career spanning more than six decades.

The arc

Cliff’s path ran from a teenage number-one with “Hurricane Hattie” for Leslie Kong in 1962 through the international albums of the late 1960s — Wonderful World, Beautiful People — to his starring role in The Harder They Come (1972), which the New York Times obituary credited as the vehicle that made him “the first worldwide reggae star.” “Many Rivers to Cross,” “You Can Get It If You Really Want” and “Vietnam” entered the global songbook; Cliff won Grammys for Cliff Hanger (1986) and Rebirth (2013), received Jamaica’s Order of Merit in 2003 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010. The Guardian obituary described him as “one of Jamaica’s most celebrated performers” and an “itinerant ambassador” who introduced reggae where it was largely unknown.

Survivors

Cliff is survived by his wife Latifa Belaydi Chambers, their daughter Lilty and son Aken, and other children from previous relationships including the Brazilian actor and singer Nabiyah Be, the Guardian recorded. He had remained active into his final years — performing, recording and continuing the humanitarian advocacy that ran through his later albums and foundation work.

Why it matters

With Cliff’s death, Jamaica lost a living link to ska’s first wave, to the film that exported reggae, and to an honour roll matched by few musicians anywhere. The timeline that began in a Kong audition ended where “Many Rivers to Cross” always pointed — on the far bank, with the work complete and the songs still playing.

Listen and dig deeper

Sources: BBC News — “Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff dies, aged 81” (Nov 24, 2025); Associated Press — “Jimmy Cliff, reggae giant and star of The Harder They Come, dead at 81” (Nov 24, 2025); Reuters — “Jimmy Cliff, reggae music pioneer, dies at 81” (Nov 24, 2025); The New York Times — “Jimmy Cliff, Singer Who Helped Bring Reggae to Global Audience, Dies at 81”; The Guardian — “Jimmy Cliff obituary” (Nov 24, 2025).

Editor's note: This entry is part of the JamaicansMusic online museum — a career timeline assembled from the archive. It is dated to the era it documents; every claim is drawn from the linked sources.