LONDON (CelebrityAccess) – Celebrated British poet, writer, activist and Peaky Blinders actor Benjamin Zephaniah passed away today (December 7), eight weeks after being diagnosed with a brain tumor. His death was confirmed via a post on Zephaniah’s Instagram (IG) account. He was 65. You can read the post below.
Born Benjamin Obadiah Iqbal Zephaniah in April 1958, he was raised in Handsworth, Birmingham, the son of a Barbadian postman and a Jamaican nurse. At the age of 13, he left school due to being dyslexic and was unable to read or write. Despite his learning disability, he was given a typewriter as a child, which he said inspired him to become a writer. That manual typewriter is now in the collection of Birmingham Museums Trust.
During his adolescence, Zephaniah served time in prison for a burglary charge. In an interview with Raw Edge Magazine in May 2009, he spoke of how his time in prison changed his future as a poet.
“I didn’t call myself a writer for years; I didn’t even write when I came out of prison. But I was a poet, I was a poet and a Rasta before I went in. I developed the themes and thought about life more, which brings you back to the other part of the question: what happened? You see, I think that when people are in prison, we should spend a lot more time educating them. When I was in prison, we didn’t have an education department (or at least I never got invited to one), we didn’t have a library, and I can’t remember any educational things at all. Prison gave me time to do one thing, which was to think. And what I realized while I was in prison was that not everybody who owns a car or owns a house is my enemy. I thought I was fighting the system by stealing, by going out and upsetting a few cops on the streets, by going out and beating up some rich people, but actually, I kept finding myself in the nick. I realized, sometimes through other people, what I could do with my writing and that there was another way of fighting the system.”
Recognized as a poet, rasta and ‘dub poet,’ – and known for his exploration of political injustice, he moved to London in 1979 and published his first collection – titled Pen Rhythm (1980), performing at demonstrations and youth camps, speaking out against racism and apartheid. Other works include What Stephen Lawrence Has Taught Us, which spoke of justice for the murdered London man; The Dread Affair: Collected Poems (1985), which criticized the British legal system; Rasta Time in Palestine (1990) which spoke of his experiences in the Palestinian-occupied territories, plus many more.
As a poet in residence at the chambers of Michael Mansfield QC and exploring cases while there, he wrote the Too Black, Too Strong (2001) collection and We Are Britain! (2002), which celebrated cultural diversity in Britain. He wrote the foreword to Angry White People: Coming Face-to-face with the British Far-right by Hsiao-Hung Pai.
In addition to this poetry, he authored several books, Refugee Boy, Face, Gangsta Rap, Teacher’s Dead, Terror Kid and The Life and Rhymes of Benjamin Zephaniah – his autobiography, published on his 60th birthday. Heavily influenced by Jamaican music and poetry, Zephaniah recorded with the Wailers in a tribute to Nelson Mandela, who later wanted to set up a meeting with him.
A creative soul, Zephaniah also stepped into acting with appearances in the TV shows The Bill, The Comic Strip Presents… and Farendj. However, he is best known for playing the role of preacher Jeremiah “Jimmy” Jesus in the BBC drama Peaky Blinders for 14 episodes between 2013-2022.
A true advocate and activist, Zephaniah was an honorary patron of The Vegan Society – having become a vegan at the age of 13, according to an interview with Vegan Food and Living in April 2021 – even releasing a collection of poems in 2001 titled The Little Book of Vegan Poems. He worked with the anti-racism organization Newham Monitoring Project and spoke out against numerous social issues, including the dis-establishment of the crown, speaking out against homophobia in Jamaica, helped establish the Black Writers Guild, and was a supporter of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign calling for an end to the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands.
Throughout his career, he won the BBC Young Playwright’s Award. The University of North London, the University of Central England, Staffordshire University, London South Bank University, the University of Exeter and the University of Birmingham awarded him honorary doctorates. He was listed at No. 48 on The Times’ list of 50 greatest postwar writers. In 2003, he was offered an appointment as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire but was rejected the award.
Upon hearing the news of his death, several in the entertainment industry have taken to social media in tribute.
Black Writers Guild – “Our family of writers is in mourning at the loss of a deeply valued friend and a titan of British literature. Benjamin was a man of integrity and an example of how to live your values.”
Adjoa Andoh, Actress – “We have lost a Titan today. Benjamin Zephaniah. Beautiful Poet, Professor, Advocate for love and humanity in all things. Heartbroken. Rest In Your Power – our brother.”
Cillian Murphy, Peaky Blinders Co-star & actor – “Benjamin was a truly gifted and beautiful human being. A generational poet, writer, musician and activist. A proud Brummie and a Peaky Blinder. I’m so saddened by this news.”
Michael Rosen, Author – “I’m devastated. I admired him, respected him, learnt from him, and loved him. Love and condolences to the family and all who loved him too.”
RIP.
