The Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger has paid a heartfelt tribute to Jimmy Cliff, calling him the “beautiful voice of Jamaica”. 

The reggae singer and cultural icon sadly passed away aged 81 on November 24th, after suffering from a seizure followed by pneumonia.

Figures from across the musical and political worlds came together to honour his life, with the Jamaican prime minister and Cat Stevens leading the tributes.

However, now Rolling Stones frontman Jagger has also joined in the outpouring of recognition for Cliff’s seismic life and musical impact. Taking to X on November 25th, he simply wrote: “So sad to lose the beautiful voice of Jamaica, Jimmy Cliff,” sharing a black and white picture of the pair laughing together.

Cliff himself once revealed that he and the classic rocker were neighbours in London decades ago, around the same time that he took a foray into acting by landing the lead role in the movie The Harder They Come, for which he wrote the song of the same name.

Elsewhere, Jagger’s Rolling Stones bandmate Ronnie Wood also posted on social media to pay tribute to Cliff, saying that the singer’s passing was “very sad news”.

He added: “I made an album with him, Jimmy, in Kingston, Jamaica – a song called ‘Peace Officer’ among others,” including an emoji of a dove at the end of his message, while sharing a photo of himself, Cliff, and Keith Richards.

Cliff’s main collaboration with the iconic British rock band came in 1986 with their album Dirty Work, with the reggae star one of many musicians who worked on the background of certain tracks.

Dirty Work came at the height of the creative and personal tensions between Jagger and Richards, hence becoming one of their most notable works at the same time. Alongside Cliff, Jimmy Page and Tom Waits were among the many starry personnel of the record.