Benjamin Zephaniah, the British poet who famously refused an honor from Queen Elizabeth II due to Britain’s empire and links to slavery, died on Thursday at the age of 65, according to his family.
“It is with great sadness and regret that we announce the death of our beloved husband, son and brother in the early hours of this morning 7th December 2023,” the family said in a statement on Instagram, adding that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumour eight weeks ago.
According to the statement, the 65-year-old was diagnosed with a brain tumor just eight weeks ago. Zephaniah rose to notoriety in the United Kingdom as a poet and chronicler of the Black experience, breaking into the mainstream in the 1980s with his “dub poetry” – verse matched to reggae music.
His work frequently addressed his childhood experiences growing up in Handsworth, Birmingham, as well as the civil unrest that swept through English cities in the mid-1980s.
He wrote 14 books of poetry, seven plays, and seven original music recordings. In 2008, The Times called him one of the 50 best postwar writers.
His family posted on X: “Benjamin was a true pioneer and innovator; he gave the world so much. Through an amazing career including a hug body of poems, literature, music, television and radio.”
DJ and BBC radio presenter Trevor Nelson called Zephaniah a “unique talent.”