BETTER late than never, just ask Mr Vegas. The 44-year-old recently attained his high school diploma.

The singjay took to social media last Thursday to show off his General Education Development (GED) diploma.

“Look who received his high school GED Diploma. It’s just the beginning,” he said, under the post.

The GED consists of four tests which, when passed, provide certification that the test taker has United States or Canadian high school-level academic skills.

Vegas said he dropped out of school nearly 30 years ago, but was determined to complete his education.

“My mother told me some things before she left this earth. She said it’s never too late for a shower of rain. She also said: ‘Show me your company, and I tell you who you are’. Now I did not graduate from high school, I dropped out at the start of ninth grade. I did not have a high school diploma. I didn’t have such luxury of receiving one. At the start of this year, I set out to achieve some goals. One of my goals was to get my high school diploma,” he said, while holding up the certificate awarded by the State of Florida’s Department of Education.

“It took me three months to condense certain academics that some people may take four to five years to learn, so it was a lot of studying, a lot of hard work, a lot of … applying self to achieve such goals,” he continued.

Congratulatory messages flooded the post from fans who commended the singjay.

“Proud of you!,” said Savannah Landeros.

Claudia Bennett said: “Wow congrats, age is just a number.”

Mr Vegas, given name Clifford Smith, rose to prominence in 1998 with Heads High. The song reached number one in Jamaica and ethnic charts across the United States. It also made the British national chart and Billboard’s R&B chart.

Heads High set the pace for a number of well-received singles including Hot Gal Today (with Sean Paul), which also entered the Billboard R&B table. His versatility can be heard on When You Love Someone (lovers’ rock), I Am Blessed (revival) and collaborations with soca stars Machel Montano and Destra Garcia.

In 2013, the International Reggae and World Music Awards (IRAWMA) recognised his Sweet Jamaica as the Song Of The Year.