Legend whetted a global appetite for reggae

Jamaican musician and actor helped pave the way for Bob Marley and other artists.

- MIKAEL WOOD POP MUSIC CRITIC

MUSIC LEGEND Jimmy Cliff was "a true cultural giant whose music carried the heart of our nation to the world," said Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.

Jimmy Cliff, the Jamaican musician and actor who helped popularize reggae around the world and paved the way for future stars of the genre such as Bob Marley, has died. He was 81.

Cliff's wife, Latifa Chambers, announced the singer's death in a statement shared Monday on social media, writing that he "crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia." Additional information was not immediately available.

"To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career," the post on Instagram read. "He really appreciated each and every fan for their love." Cliff starred in the 1972 Jamaican crime film "The Harder They Come" and is known for the movie's title track and other songs, including "Many Rivers to Cross" and "You Can Get It if You Really Want."