Jimmy Cliff, reggae legend who sang ‘The Harder They Come,’ dead at 81

Jimmy Cliff, the smooth-voiced singer who helped popularize the reggae genre, has died at age 81, his wife announced on Instagram on Monday.

“It’s with profound sadness that I share that my husband, Jimmy Cliff, has crossed over due to a seizure followed by pneumonia,” Latifa Chambers said.

“I am thankful for his family, friends, fellow artists and coworkers who have shared his journey with him. To all his fans around the world, please know that your support was his strength throughout his whole career. He really appreciated each and every fan for their love.”

With hits like “You Can Get It If You Really Want,” “The Harder They Come,” and “Wonderful World, Beautiful People,” Cliff reached worldwide success and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010, the only Jamaican apart from Bob Marley to achieve that honor.

As well as his music, he was known for his starring role in the 1972 movie “The Harder They Come,” in which he plays Ivan Martin, a young man who moves to the Jamaican capital, Kingston, to break into the music industry but eventually turns to crime instead. That movie and its soundtrack, for which Cliff wrote several songs, helped popularize reggae in the United States and made Cliff a star.