Cillian Murphy has paid tribute to Peaky Blinders co-star Benjamin Zephaniah, who passed away this morning aged 65.
The pair appeared together between 2013 and 2022 in the BBC drama about the Shelby crime family in Birmingham in the early 20th Century. Zephaniah, who was born in the UK city in 1958, played Jeremiah “Jimmy” Jesus, a Jamaican born street preacher and a close friend of the Murphy’s lead character, Tommy Shelby.
“Benjamin was a truly gifted and beautiful human being — a generational poet, writer, musician and activist. A proud Brummie and a Peaky Blinder,” said the Oppenheimer star in a statement. “I’m so saddened by this news. RIP.”
Nicky J Sims/Getty Images; David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images
Zephaniah’s character fights alongside the Shelbys in season one of the Caryn Mandabach Productions show, and appears in several crucial scenes in later seasons. Zephaniah said the character was partially based on a real-life person of the same name, who roamed the streets of Birmingham with a Bible.
This morning, an Instagram post from Zephaniah’s account revealed he had died eight weeks after being diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Zephaniah was best known as a celebrated poet whose work had huge impact on British society, challenging racism and institutions such as the British Empire.
British TV industry figures such as writer Sarah Phelps, reporter Nadine White and broadcaster Samira Ahmed have all paid tribute to the poet, while the Black Writers’ Guild called him a “titan of British literature.”
