Benjamin Zephaniah – a life in pictures
Beloved poet and writer Benjamin Zephaniah has died aged 65. Here are the snapshots of his life – from his early years as a dub poet to his screen roles and activism
- Zephaniah aged 21
Photograph: Benjamin Zephaniah
- Zephaniah reading in 1982
Photograph: Michael Ward/Rex Features
- Zephaniah and Maya Angelou together on stage at the 2002 Hay festival
Photograph: Kathy deWitt/Alamy
- Zephaniah poses at a photo call at the Bookshop in London in 2003
Photograph: Cambridge Jones/Getty Images
- Zephaniah at the Hay festival in 2004
Photograph: Kathy deWitt/Alamy
- Zephaniah jamming at Premises Studios, London, in 2006
Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian
- Zephaniah visiting Henan, China, in 2012
Photograph: Visual China Group/Getty Images
- Zephaniah and Polly Toynbee after receiving their honorary degrees from South Bank University at Southwark Cathedral in 2015
Photograph: Eamonn McCabe
- Zephaniah performing with the Revolutionary Minds at the Musicport festival in Whitby, North Yorkshire, in 2017
Photograph: MusicLive/Alamy
- Benjamin Zephaniah as Jeremiah Jesus in an episode of Peaky Blinders in 2019
Photograph: Matt Squire/BBC/Caryn Mandabach Productions
- Zephaniah at the Edinburgh international book festival in 2019
Photograph: Roberto Ricciuti/Getty Images
- Zephaniah unveils an English Heritage blue plaque for Bob Marley at a house on Oakley Street in Chelsea, London, in 2019
Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/PA
- Zephaniah in 2020 wearing a T-shirt in memory of his cousin Mikey Powell who died in police custody in 2003
Photograph: Fabio De Paola/The Guardian
- Zephaniah at a ‘justice for chickens’ animal rights demonstration with fellow protesters including Megan McCubbin and Chris Packham outside the Royal Courts of Justice in 2023
Photograph: Vuk Valcic/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
