The British poet, actor and musician passed away in the early hours of Thursday morning, eight weeks after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. He was 65. Reacting to the news, Murphy said in a statement: "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. RIP." Zephaniah played the Jamaica-born street preacher Jeremiah 'Jimmy' Jesus, a close friend of Murphy's lead character Tommy Shelby, in the BBC drama between 2013 and 2022. Meanwhile, musician and activist Billy Bragg posted on X/Twitter: Born in Birmingham to Barbadian and Jamaican parents, Zephaniah often dealt with themes of social injustice and racism in his literary works, which included poems, plays, novels and children's books. The outspoken political activist and dub poet also appeared in many films and TV projects and released several albums, such as his 1982 debut Rasta. His family announced the news on social media.

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