Jimmy Cliff Biography – Age, Height, Family, Death, Wife, Net Worth, Kids

James Chambers, OM, better known by his stage name Jimmy Cliff, was a multi-instrumentalist, singer, actor, ska, rocksteady, reggae, and soul artist from Jamaica.

Jimmy Cliff Biography

Real Name	James Chambers
Nick Name	James
Affair/Girlfriend	Latifa Chambers
Famous As	Jamaican Musician
Religion	Christianity
Profession	Singer, Actor

Family Details

Father	N/A
Mother	N/A
Siblings	N/A
Marital Status	Married
Wife Name	Latifa Chambers
Children	Nabiyah Be, Lilty Cliff, Aken Cliff

Physical Appearance

Height	165 cm |1.65meters |5 Feet 5 Inch
Weight	In Kg –75kg | 165 lbs
Age (2025)	81-year-old
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Black
Shoe Size	8.5U.S
Body Measurements	–
Zodiac Sign	Leo

Personal Details

Birth Place	St. James Parish, Jamaica
Date Of Birth	April 30, 1944
Nationality	Jamaician
Ethnicity	Mixed
Date Of Death	24 November 2025
Place Of Death	Kingston, Jamaica
Gender	Male
Residence	Kingston, Jamaica
School	primary school in St. James
University/College	University of James
Education Qualification	Graduate
Genre	Reggae

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Career

While still in school, Cliff approached numerous producers in an unsuccessful attempt to have his songs produced. He participated in talent competitions as well. “One night I was walking past a record store and restaurant as they were closing, pushed myself in and convinced one of them, Leslie Kong, to go into the recording business, starting with me,” Cliff said in his biography on the website. His career started off when “Hurricane Hattie” became a smash at the age of 17, following two songs that didn’t leave much of an effect. Kong developed it, and Cliff stayed with him until Kong passed away in 1971 from a heart attack.

Cliff’s later local success singles were “King of Kings”, “Dearest Beverley”, “Miss Jamaica”, and “Pride and Passion”. In 1964, Cliff was chosen as one of Jamaica’s delegates to the World’s Fair in New York; and in the same year Cliff was included in a program called “This is Ska!” alongside Prince Buster, Toots and the Maytals, and Byron Lee and the Dragonaires.

He quickly relocated to the UK after signing with Island Records. Cliff’s career took off in the late 1960s, although Island Records first (and unsuccessfully) attempted to market him to the rock audience. Hard Road to Travel was his 1967 international debut album. It got great reviews and featured “Waterfall” (written by Patrick Campbell-Lyons and Alex Spyropoulos of Nirvana), which won the International Song Festival and became popular in Brazil.

“Wonderful World, Beautiful People” and “Vietnam” followed “Waterfall” in 1969 and 1970, respectively, and were both well-known across the majority of the world. “Vietnam” is the best protest song that Bob Dylan has ever heard. Cliff also released a cover of Cat Stevens’ “Wild World” as a single around this time.

Cliff joined the indie Music Awards judging panel for the first time in 2001 in order to promote indie musicians. After initially offering free downloads via peer-to-peer software, Cliff published the album Fantastic Plastic People in Europe in 2002. Along with new songs that were very similar to Cliff’s early hits, this album included collaborations with Joe Strummer, Annie Lennox, and Sting. For inclusion in Black Magic, Cliff totally revamped the songs in 2004, eschewing traditional reggae in favor of an electronic feel. A recording of “Over the Border” featuring Joe Strummer was also included on the CD.

In September 2009, he was nominated for entry into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, following a campaign on his behalf by the American Charles Earle. Cliff reacted to the news by saying, “This is good for Cliff, good for Jamaican music and good for my country.” On 15 December 2009, he was officially announced as an inductee and was inducted on 15 March 2010 by Wyclef Jean.

Cliff collaborated with American punk band Rancid’s main singer and producer Tim Armstrong on the EP The Sacred Fire and the full-length album Rebirth in 2011. The Grammy Award for Best Reggae Album went to Rebirth. “There’s ska, rock steady, roots reggae, a revelatory cover of The Clash’s “Guns of Brixton” delivered in Cliff’s trademark soulful tenor, grittier but still lovely more than 40 years after his debut.” Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 12 on their list of the top 50 albums of 2012.

The Caribbean Journal, a digital newspaper, named Cliff Artist of the Year in December 2012, emphasizing his work on Rebirth.

Cliff’s album Refugees was released in August 2022.

Family Detail

Jimmy Cliff’s family consists of his parents and siblings. The names of his parents are unknown.

Social Media Profile

Wikipedia	Click Here
Instagram	Click Here
Facebook	Click Here
Twitter	–

Death / Age

Cliff’s wife revealed on November 24, 2025, that he had passed away from a seizure and pneumonia. He was eighty-one.

Song List

Year	Song Title	Album / Source	Notes / Importance
1969	Wonderful World, Beautiful People	Wonderful World, Beautiful People	Breakthrough international hit; promoted peace and unity.
1969	Vietnam	Wonderful World, Beautiful People	Praised by Bob Dylan as “the best protest song ever written.”
1970	Come Into My Life	Come Into My Life	Popular soul-reggae fusion; widely covered.
1970	Wild World (cover)	Wonderful World, Beautiful People (Re-release)	Famous reggae cover of Cat Stevens’ song.
1971	Sitting in Limbo	The Harder They Come (Soundtrack)	Iconic mellow reggae track; used in many films.
1972	The Harder They Come	The Harder They Come (Soundtrack)	His signature song; defined reggae’s global rise.
1972	You Can Get It If You Really Want	The Harder They Come (Soundtrack)	Motivational anthem; one of his biggest hits.
1972	Many Rivers to Cross	The Harder They Come (Soundtrack)	One of his most powerful and widely covered songs.
1975	Trapped	Brave Warrior	Later famously covered by Bruce Springsteen.
1976	Give the People What They Want	Follow My Mind	Energetic and political reggae track.
1983	Reggae Night	The Power and the Glory	Big 80s hit; international success.
1983	Sunshine in the Music	The Power and the Glory	Popular upbeat reggae-pop song.
1993	I Can See Clearly Now (cover)	Cool Runnings Soundtrack	Chart-topping hit; revived his global popularity.
1998	Rebel in Me	Humanitarian	Uplifting and reflective track.

Wife / Children

Lilty Cliff, Aken Cliff, and the actress/singer Nabiyah Be were his three children from his marriage.

Jimmy Cliff Net Worth

Jimmy Cliff is a Jamaican singer, musician, and actor who has a net worth of $5 million . He has earned all his wealth from his profession, singing and acting.

FAQ About Jimmy Cliff

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Conclusion

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