Information Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Nov. 24, 2025: Tributes from all over the world started flooding social media and information platforms this morning, Nov. 24, 2025, inside minutes of the heartbreaking announcement that Jamaican musical icon Jimmy Cliff had handed away at age 81. The information got here by way of an emotional Instagram assertion from his spouse, Latifa Chambers, who revealed that the reggae legend died following a seizure and pneumonia.
“It’s with profound disappointment that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over,” she wrote. “To all his followers all over the world, please know that your help was his power all through his entire profession … Jimmy, my darling, might you relaxation in peace. I’ll comply with your needs.”
The message was signed by Chambers and their youngsters, Lilty and Aken, who thanked the worldwide group for embracing the person whose music reshaped reggae and carried Jamaica’s spirit all over the world.
Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness was among the many first to reply, calling Cliff “a real cultural big whose music carried the center of our nation to the world.”
“Jimmy Cliff advised our story with honesty and soul,” Holness said. “His music lifted folks by way of arduous instances, impressed generations, and helped form the worldwide respect that Jamaican tradition enjoys right this moment.”
Worldwide tributes poured in simply as rapidly.
UB40’s Ali Campbell honored Cliff as “a real basis, a pillar of our music, and one of many first to hold reggae out into the world.”
Reggae group Interior Circle wrote: “We’re devastated. As we speak we are saying goodbye to our buddy and reggae legend, Jimmy Cliff… Your legacy is everlasting, brother. Relaxation in Energy.”
VP Data issued a press release saying “Relaxation in Energy, Jimmy Cliff.” They added he might be sadly missed, fondly remembered, and eternally honored for the legacy he leaves behind. Our ideas and honest condolences to his spouse, youngsters and household.”
Born in St. James, Jamaica, in 1944, Jimmy Cliff’s rise started in Kingston beneath the steering of producer Leslie Kong, who acknowledged the younger singer’s uncooked expertise. Cliff’s willpower earned him early hits and led to his choice as one in all Jamaica’s musical ambassadors to the 1964 World’s Honest in New York.
Nevertheless it was his signing to Island Data later that decade that propelled him to worldwide fame. His breakout hit, “Fantastic World, Stunning Individuals,” soared to No. 6 on the UK charts in 1969, marrying upbeat ska with lyrics critiquing international injustice. That steadiness of pleasure, activism, and optimism grew to become his trademark.
His anti-war anthem “Vietnam” drew reward worldwide, together with from Bob Dylan, who referred to as it the “finest protest tune” he’d heard.
Cliff’s legacy was cemented in 1972 when he starred in The More durable They Come, taking part in outlaw Ivanhoe “Rhyging” Martin. The movie grew to become a cornerstone of Jamaican cinema, whereas its soundtrack – which included “You Can Get It If You Actually Need” and “The More durable They Come”—ignited international reggae fever.
Within the U.S., the movie’s 1973 launch launched tens of millions to Jamaica’s music, language, and tradition.
Cliff continued shaping music for many years. He toured the world, scored hits like “I Can See Clearly Now” from Cool Runnings, and collaborated with the Rolling Stones, Sting and Wyclef Jean. Bruce Springsteen popularized Cliff’s “Trapped” throughout his Nineteen Eighties world excursions, making it a live performance staple.
Cliff received two Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame, and acquired Jamaica’s Order of Benefit, one of many nation’s highest honors. In 2018 he broke his hip and needed to cancel a tour.
His 2022 album Refugees, created with Wyclef Jean, was his remaining studio mission – an echo of his lifelong devotion to themes of battle, hope, and liberation.
The grief expressed right this moment spans continents and genres – musicians, political leaders, activists and followers all mourning a person whose work formed reggae’s international id.
Jimmy Cliff leaves behind a towering legacy: over 30 albums, iconic movie roles, and songs that outlined an period and impressed tens of millions. But maybe his biggest contribution was the message woven by way of each observe – a perception in resilience, unity, and the unstoppable energy of the human spirit.
Relaxation in energy, Jimmy Cliff. The world will hear your music eternally.
Here’s a flashback to a few of his previous performances.
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