The British poet, actor and musician passed away in the early hours of Thursday morning, eight weeks after being diagnosed with a brain tumour. He was 65. Reacting to the news, Murphy said in a statement: "Benjamin was 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. RIP." Zephaniah played the Jamaica-born street preacher Jeremiah 'Jimmy' Jesus, a close friend of Murphy's lead character Tommy Shelby, in the BBC drama between 2013 and 2022.