How did Bob Marley die? The Wailers icon's untimely death explained 40 years on (2024)

FAQs

How did Bob Marley die? The Wailers icon's untimely death explained 40 years on? ›

He died of melanoma in 1981 when he was only 36 years old. When a dark spot appeared under his toenail, Marley attributed it to a soccer injury. Eventually, he was diagnosed

Prior to his diagnosis of skin cancer...

Unfortunately, a dark lesion under a toenail on his right foot was initially misdiagnosed as a bruise from a soccer injury. Bob Marley died four years later at age 36 from acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM).

In Bob Marley's case, he thought it was just a bruise from kicking a soccer ball. There's a loose connection to trauma, but it hasn't been proven. It's a rare cancer, so if it was caused just by smashing your finger in a door, everyone would have it.

In the cable, Ambassador Gerard wrote: "Some see the incident as an attempt by JLP gunmen to halt the concert, which would feature the "politically progressive" music of Marley and other reggae stars. Others see it as a deep-laid plot to create a progressive, youthful Jamaican martyr to the benefit of the PNP.

After Marley, death of Carly Barrett, and Marvin's departure (1981-1997) After the death of Bob Marley in 1981, the Wailers continued, led by Aston "Familyman" Barrett and Junior Marvin. The band played a heavy worldwide touring schedule and recorded as backing band with several singers.

Marley's final words to his son Ziggy were: "On your way up, take me up. On your way down, don't let me down." On 21 May 1981, Marley was given a state funeral in Jamaica that combined elements of Ethiopian Orthodoxy and Rastafari tradition.

He died of melanoma in 1981 when he was only 36 years old. When a dark spot appeared under his toenail, Marley attributed it to a soccer injury. Eventually, he was diagnosed with a rare, aggressive type of skin cancer called acral lentiginous melanoma (ALM).

During the last months of his life, he suffered from very serious seizures. Was a Rastafarian. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. His album 'Exodus' was chosen by Time magazine as the greatest album of the 20th century.

The film glosses over Bob's substance abuse and extramarital affairs (which amounted to 7 illegitimate children), using one line in a fight between he and Rita to note the motherly role she's assumed.

Symptoms and Causes

Statistics tell us that 86% of melanomas are caused by solar ultraviolet (UV) rays. How does the sun cause skin cancer? UV exposure can cause damage to a cell's DNA, making changes to particular genes that affect how cells grow and divide.

Why is Marley being punished? ›

Jacob Marley is a ghost who appears in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. He is Scrooge's deceased business partner, now a chained a tormented ghost, given as punishment in the afterlife for his greedy, selfish and uncaring attitude when he was living.

Marley explains that it is the duty of every person that their spirit should 'walk among their fellow men' and that 'if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death'. Marley is one such unfortunate: he spent his life amassing his fortune when care for others should have been his business.

Sadly, Marley's final days indicate that he knew every little thing was not gonna be alright. He knew he was dying. In 1981, Marley was in Europe, where he had been receiving alternative therapies for his melanoma for months.

Marley recorded his first four songs at the Federal Studio in Jamaica. These songs were Judge Not, One Cup of Coffee, Do You Still Love Me? and Terror. However, One Cup of Coffee was released under the pseudonym Bobby Martell.

Bob Marley formed Bob Marley and the Wailers with himself as a guitarist, songwriter and main singer, the Wailers Band as the backing band, and the I Three as backup vocalists. The Wailers Band included the brothers Carlton Barrett and my dad “Family Man” Barrett on the drums and bass respectively.

The title and main refrain, "No Woman, No Cry", means "Woman, don't cry". The lyric is sometimes misunderstood outside Jamaica to mean "if there is no woman, there is no reason to cry". The lyric is rendered "No, woman, nuh cry" in Jamaican Patois.

“I still feel I'm working with him. I feel I'm still his partner.” Now 77, Rita has retired and passed the reins over to Cedella. She currently lives in Miami near her family, surrounded by grandchildren who call her Nana Rita.

Bob and Rita Marley were married from 1966 until the reggae star's death in 1981. They welcomed three children together: daughter Cedella and sons Ziggy and Stephen. Bob and Rita each had relationships and welcomed children outside their marriage.

According to Bob's website, Norval's family strongly disapproved of his union with Booker. After their separation, Norval provided financial support for the family but hardly saw his son, and visits stopped altogether when Bob was 5 years old. Five years later, Norval died from a heart attack.