Jimmy Cliff, reggae giant and star of landmark film 'The Harder They Come,' dead at 81

NEW YORK — Jimmy Cliff, the charismatic reggae pioneer and actor who preached joy, defiance and resilience in such classics as "Many Rivers to Cross," "You Can Get it If You Really Want" and "Vietnam" and starred in the landmark movie "The Harder They Come," has died at 81.

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Jimmy Cliff, the charismatic reggae pioneer and actor who preached defiance, joy and endurance in such classics as "Many Rivers to Cross," "You Can Get it If You Really Want" and "Vietnam" and starred in the landmark movie "The Harder They Come," has died at 81

Cliff was a native Jamaican with a spirited tenor and a gift for topical lyrics who joined Kingston's emerging music scene in his teens and helped lead a movement in the 1960s that included such future stars as Bob Marley, Toots Hibbert a