Jimmy Cliff was an absolute legend in the reggae world, one of the names who brought the music from Jamaica to the mainstream with hit after hit.

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

One of the original stars of the 1960s ska boom, Cliff had his first hit in Jamaica in 1962 aged just 14, after walking into a record store singing a song to the owner, producer Leslie Kong.