A giant of Jamaican music, he gained international renown through the 1972 film “The Harder They Come,” and helped establish reggae’s themes of struggle, resistance and uplift.

"Jimmy Cliff - Festival du Bout du Monde 2012 - 012" by Thesupermat is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Jimmy Cliff, the Jamaica-born artist who helped

The family of Bob Marley, Sean Paul, Vybz Kartel, and more have shared tributes to reggae legend Jimmy Cliff, following his death at age 81.

Like the Wailers, Cliff signed to Island Records, and his Wonderful World Beautiful People was one of the first clutch of ska hits to reach the UK charts in late 1969. The follow-up was Vietnam, which Bob Dylan once described as the best protest song he’d ever heard. He also had a hit with a cover of Cat Stevens Wild World around this time.

Legendary reggae singer Jimmy Cliff, who helped bring reggae music to a global audience, has died. He was 81. His wife, Latifa Chambers, announced the news on Instagram on Monday.