The voice that took reggae to the world

SINGER and actor Jimmy Cliff, whose smooth voice introduced the world to reggae, has died of pneumonia, aged 81.

- BY SAM ELLIOTT

The activist and cultural icon brought the sound of Jamaica to a mass audience through hits such as The Harder They Come, You Can Get It If You Really Want and Many Rivers to Cross.

The songs featured in the internationally acclaimed, hard-hitting 1972 crime film The Harder They Come, which starred Jimmy.

His family announced his death. Wife Latifa said in a note, signed by two of his three children, Lilty and Aken: “It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia.

“To all his fans around the world, please know your support was his strength throughout his whole career. Jimmy, my darling, may you rest in peace.”