25/11/2025
This one hit hard today.
He was a reggae legend...and so much more
He was the most incredible showman on the stage, offstage he was gentle, funny, humble and the last 2 times we met, quite frail. We helped him on to the stage and once on there something took over him, he bounced around like a teen, legs flying in the air.
There was something deeply spiritual about him.
I asked him about it after one show, he said the music just takes over.
My daughter, 14 at the time, asked if he would ever stop and he told her 'Only when I die'
He asked me why fans were saying 'Happy Birthday' to him at the last gig we did in Waitangi. Told him his Wikipedia page had his birth date as the next day...and had kindly shaved a few years off (I had his passport deets for the immigration VISA so knew his actual birthday.) He roared with laughter. Age doesn't matter he said....and that date in my passport is probably wrong too.
We talked about his love for his family and that he was a Dad again to younger children...he said that kept him youthful.
He wanted to understand about Te Tiriti and the relationship between Maori and non-Maori...this always fascinates artists from other parts of the world, but for Jimmy this was on another level. He was an advocate for social justice and cultural identity, an activist who had used his musical superpower to fight racism.
I was blessed to be able to spend some time with a true pioneer of a genre. Music was in his soul in a way you don't often get to see or experience.
Rest in power Jimmy Cliff
We will miss you deeply ❤💛💚
