The reggae pioneer who brought Jamaican music to the world.
Legendary Jamaican musician Jimmy Cliff, a pioneering force behind reggae, ska, and rocksteady, has died at the age of 81. His wife, Latifa Chambers, announced on Facebook that the cause was a seizure followed by pneumonia.
Born James Chambers on July 30, 1944, in St. James Parish, Jamaica, Cliff moved to Kingston in the 1950s with his father to pursue a career in music. He achieved national fame at just 14 with the song Hurricane Hattie. Over a six-decade career, Cliff recorded more than 30 albums and performed worldwide, from Paris to Brazil and New York’s World’s Fair in 1964.
