‘Peaky Blinders’ Favorite Dead: Benjamin Zephaniah Was 65

Benjamin Zephaniah, the celebrated British author and poet who starred as Jeremiah Jesus in Peaky Blinders, has died. Zephaniah passed away in the early hours of Thursday morning, eight weeks after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor, according to a post shared on his Instagram account. He was 65.

“Benjamin’s wife was by his side throughout and was with him when he passed,” the statement read in part. “We shared him with the world and we know many will be shocked and saddened by this news. Benjamin was a true pioneer and innovator, he gave the world so much. Through an amazing career including a huge body of poems, literature, music, television and radio, Benjamin leaves us with a joyful and fantastic legacy.”

Born in Birmingham, England, to a father who was a Barbadian postman and a mother who was a Jamaican nurse, according to the BBC, Zephaniah had dyslexia and left school by the time he was 13. Deadline reports that Zephaniah used a typewriter to teach himself to read and write, and at the time, was already performing poetry live. His poetry was “strongly influenced by the music and poetry of Jamaica and what he calls ‘street politics,’” per his biography, and his “first real public performance was in church when he was 10 years old, by the time he was 15 he had developed a strong following in his hometown of Handsworth where he had gained a reputation as a young poet who was capable of speaking on local and international issues.”

After moving to London when he was 22, Zephaniah published his first book of poetry, Pen Rhythm. He went on to release 13 more poetry books, seven plays, and seven albums. According to The Guardian, Zephaniah was credited with bringing dub poetry to the British mainstream. His influential voice in Black politics and identity led to meetings with the likes of Nelson Mandela and The Wailers, and Zephaniah also notably turned down an Order of the British Empire during Tony Blair’s tenure as Prime Minister.

Outside of poetry, Zephaniah was also a well-known actor, having appeared on The Bill and The Comic Strip Presents… in the 1990s. He was perhaps best known for his role as Jeremiah “Jimmy” Jesus in Steven Knight’s Peaky Blinders. He appeared in the BBC drama throughout its nine-year run between 2013 and 2022. Following news of his passing, Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy remembered Zephaniah as “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.”