Jimmy Cliff, who grew up poor in the tough town of Kingston, Jamaica and was the world’s first big-time reggae music star, has died. A talented singer and song writer with an intense commitment to social justice, Jimmy Cliff recorded what are still some of the genre’s most popular songs: “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” “The Harder They Come,” and “I Can See Clearly Now,” to name a few. He was 81-years-old.
The best tribute for Jimmy Cliff that we could find was in The New York Times written by reporters Alex Marshall and Alex Williams. Here’s the link to the story:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/24/arts/music/jimmy-cliff-dead.html#:~:text=Jimmy%20Cliff%2C%20a%20onetime%20choirboy,He%20was%2081
But the New York Times has a tough paywall – you may not be able to read it so we posted some of Alex Marshall’s and Alex Williams’ obituary for Jimmy Cliff below.
Many of you remember Jimmy’s 1972 film “The Harder They Come” which rocketed him to new heights as the world’s first reggae star. “The Harder They Come” became a cult favorite in the United States. Jimmy Cliff, in the lead role, played Ivanhoe Martin, who abandons an impoverished life in the Jamaican countryside for the capital city of Kingston. Hoping to rise from the city’s shantytowns to music stardom, he is exploited by sleazy music executives and abused by the police, eventually turning into a gun-toting outlaw and martyred folk hero. The role won Mr. Cliff a wide base of fans, many of whom bought the movie’s soundtrack, which included his songs “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” “The Harder They Come,” and “Sitting in Limbo.” In 2003, Rolling Stone listed the soundtrack as No. 122 on its list of the 500 greatest albums of all times.
Jimmy Cliff had many hits including “Many Rivers to Cross”, “Wonderful World Beautiful People” and “Vietnam” which many people, including Bob Dylan, say is one of the greatest anti-war/protests songs of all time. Jimmy Cliff is wildly credited with launching the reggae genre of music worldwide which paved the way for Bob Marley. – Alex Marshall and Alex Williams, The New York Times.
In 2010, Mr. Cliff became the second reggae musician to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Bob Marley was first. And today you can watch the breakthrough film, “The Harder They Come” on Apple TV or Amazon Prime. There’s one line in the song “The Harder They Come” that unfortunately still rings true:
“I’d rather be a free man in my grave, than living as a puppet or a slave.”
Click HERE to watch FRANCE 24’s tribute.
Click HERE to Watch Jimmy Cliff live singing, “I Can See Clearly Now.”
Click HERE to watch the trailer for the film “The Harder They Come.”