Jimmy Cliff, the reggae pioneer and actor who preached pleasure, defiance and resilience, has died at age 81 from well being problems, per the Related Press. He’s identified for for hits like, ‘Many Rivers to Cross,’ ‘You Can Get it If You Actually Need’ and ‘Vietnam.’ Cliff additionally starred within the landmark film ‘The Tougher They Come.’
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Jimmy Cliff Passes Away After Struggling A Seizure & Pneumonia
Jimmy Cliff’s spouse, Latifa Chambers, confirmed his dying on Monday (November 24). Latifa and Cliff’s two youngsters additionally posted a message on the reggae star’s social media websites. The assertion revealed that he died from a “seizure adopted by pneumonia.” Extra data was not instantly obtainable.
“To all his followers around the globe, please know that your help was his energy all through his complete profession,” the announcement reads partially. “He actually appreciated every fan for his or her love.”
Reggae Singer Remembered For Floor Breaking ‘The Tougher They Come’ Film
Jimmy Cliff was a local Jamaican with a present for catchphrases and topical lyrics. He joined Kingston’s rising music scene in his teenagers and helped lead a motion within the Sixties that included future stars like Bob Marley, Toots Hibbert and Peter Tosh. By the early Seventies, he had accepted director Perry Henzell’s supply to star in a movie about an aspiring reggae musician, Ivanhoe ‘Ivan’ Martin. Ivanhoe turns to crime when his profession stalls. Henzell named the film ‘The Tougher They Come’ after suggesting the title as a potential track for Cliff.
“Ivanhoe was a real-life character for Jamaicans,” Cliff informed Selection in 2022 amid the movie’s fiftieth anniversary. “Once I was just a little boy, I used to listen to about him as being a nasty man. An actual unhealthy man. Nobody in Jamaica, at the moment, had weapons. However he had weapons and shot a policeman, so he was somebody to be feared. Nonetheless, being a hero was the style wherein Perry needed to make his title — an anti-hero in the way in which that Hollywood turns its unhealthy guys into heroes.”
In case you didn’t know, ‘The Tougher They Come’ was delayed for some two years due to sometime-y funding. Nonetheless, it was the primary main industrial launch to return out of Jamaica. The movie offered few tickets in its preliminary run. Now, it stands as a cultural touchstone. Its soundtrack alone is called as one of many best ever, but additionally a turning level in reggae’s worldwide rise.
What Else To Know About Jimmy’s Profession
Jimmy Cliff’s profession reportedly peaked with ‘The Tougher They Come.’ Nonetheless, after a break within the late Seventies, he labored steadily for many years—from session work with the Rolling Stones to collabs with Wyclef Jean, Sting and Annie Lennox amongst others.
In the meantime, his early music lived on. The Sandinistas in Nicaragua used ‘You Can Get it If You Actually Need’ as a marketing campaign theme and Bruce Springsteen helped increase Cliff’s U.S. viewers together with his reside cowl of the reggae star’s ‘Trapped.’ Others performing his songs included John Lennon, Cher and UB40.
Moreover, Jimmy Cliff earned seven Grammy nominations and received twice for greatest reggae album. His first win was in 1986 for ‘Cliff Hanger’ and in 2012 for the well-named ‘Rebirth,’ which many referred to as his greatest work in years. His different albums included the Grammy-nominated ‘The Energy and the Glory,’ ‘Humanitarian’ and the 2022 launch ‘Refugees.’ Additionally, he carried out on Steve Van Zandt’s protest anthem, ‘Solar Metropolis,’ and acted within the Robin Williams comedy ‘Membership Paradise,’ for which he contributed a handful of songs to the soundtrack. He sang with Elvis Costello on the rocker ‘Seven Day Weekend.’
Jimmy Cliff’s different honors included induction into the Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame and Jamaica’s Order of Benefit. In 2019, the Jamaican authorities renamed Montego Bay’s common “hip strip” roadway Jimmy Cliff Boulevard. Two years later, Jamaican officers introduced Cliff with an official passport in recognition of his standing as a Reggae Ambassador.
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Related Press Nationwide Author Hillel Italie and AP journalist John Myers Jr. in Kingston, Jamaica, contributed to this report through AP Newsroom.
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