Reggae icon, Grammy winner Jimmy Cliff is dead at 81

For many Americans, it was their first introduction to urban Jamaican life and culture, with its satirical take on social conflicts. But for singer Jimmy Cliff, the 1972 film “The Harder They Come,” would not only make him part of a cult classic, but it would help propel his career and reggae music to international audiences.

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Cliff, a legendary reggae artist who earned his place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, died Monday. He was 81.

His wife, Latifa Chambers, said in an Instagram post that the cause of death was a seizure followed by pneumonia. “It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over,” she wrote. “To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career.”

The message was also signed by their children, Lilty and Aken, and his death came a day after Haiti also lost a legendary musician, André Dadou Pasquet. He died in Miami on Sunday at at age 72. A former member of world renown Tabou Combo, Pasquest is the founder of Magnum Band.

In a post, Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness called Cliff “a true cultural giant whose music carried the heart of our nation to the world.”