Writer, poet and Peaky Blinders actor, Benjamin Zephaniah dies aged 65
Writer and poet Benjamin Zephaniah has died aged 65, after being diagnosed with a brain tumour eight weeks ago.
A statement posted on his Instagram account confirmed he died in the early hours of Thursday.
The statement said Zephaniah’s wife “was with him throughout and was by his side when he passed”.
“We shared him with the world and we know many will be shocked and saddened by this news,” it added.
He moved to London aged 22 and published his first book, Pen Rhythm.
As Zephaniah’s profile grew, he became a familiar face on television and was credited with bringing Dub Poetry into British living rooms.
He also wrote five novels as well as poetry for children, and his first book for younger readers, Talking Turkeys, was a huge success upon its publication in 1994.
On top of his writing work, Zephaniah was an actor and appeared in the BBC drama series Peaky Blinders between 2013 and 2022.
He played Jeremiah “Jimmy” Jesus, appearing in 14 episodes across the six series.
Zephaniah famously rejected an OBE in 2003 due to the association of such an honour with the British Empire and its history of slavery.
“I’ve been writing to connect with people, not to impress governments and monarchy. So I could I then accept an honour that puts the word Empire on to my name? That would be hypocritical.
He often spoke out about issues such as racial abuse and education.
Read more on BBC
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