Robert Nesta Marley, better known as Bob Marley, was born in Jamaica on Feb. 6, 1945. His musical career included reggae, ska and rocksteady. On May 11, 1981, the iconic Jamaican singer lost his battle with melanoma cancer. Take a look back at the reggae legend's life and career.
After being diagnosed with melanoma cancer in 1977, iconic reggae singer Bob Marley lost the battle four years later on May 11, 1981, but his legacy continues to live on.
Born and raised in Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica, Bob Marley developed an interest in music at a young age. While still in Primary and Junior High School, Marley (c.) and his friend Neville Livingston (later known as Bunny Wailer, l.) started to play music together before Peter Tosh (r.) joined them. The three of them along with Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso, and Cherry Smith formed a group called The Teenagers, which would soon be changed to The Wailers after being discovered by a record producer.
Influenced by the latest R&B hits in America, along with the newly emerging genre of ska music, the boys developed a unique sound of their own with their first single “Simmer Down” to reach number 1 in Jamaica. Regularly working with Studio One, Bob Marley and the Wailers found themselves working with well-established Jamaican musicians like Ernest Ranglin and Jackie Mittoo. After the other three members left the band, the core trio was established in 1966 and went on to achieve their dreams.
Bob Marley performs live on stage with The Wailers in Voorburg, Holland in 1976.
After spending some time in New York City experimenting with his sound from 1968 to 1972, Marley moved to London in 1972 and embarked on a tour with Johnny Nash after signing a deal with CBS Records. After less than a year, Bob Marley and the Wailers moved to Island Records and released the album “Catch a Fire” in 1973.
When not performing or recording new music, Marley also enjoyed playing soccer and used any space available to practice. He closely followed the Brazilian club Santos and the star player Pele through his career. He even made Jamaican soccer star Allan Cole his tour manager.
Bob Marley felt the music while performing in Los Angeles in 1979.
Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley pours his emotions live on stage in June 1977 at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, England.
Bob Marley performs on stage at the Ahoy Rotterdam arena in Rotterdam, Netherlands on June 23, 1980.
Shortly after “Catch a Fire,” Marley and the Wailers released “Burnin” which included the hit song “I Shot the Sheriff.” The song would later be covered by Eric Clapton bringing him a Billboard Number One hit. The band became so popular that they were fired from a tour with Sly and the Family Stone for being more popular than the main acts. A year later, the Wailers officially broke up to persue solo careers.
Bob Marley continued to record under Bob Marley and the Wailers simply getting a new band and background female vocalists that included his wife Rita. With the new band, Marley finally had his international breakthrough with the hit song “No Woman, No Cry” on the album “Natty Dread.”
In 1976, Marley returned to England to live there for the next couple of years in self-imposed exile. While there, Marley recorded his most popular album “Exodus” with hit songs “Jamming,” “One Love” and “Exodus.” In 1978, Marley returned to Jamaica to perform at the One Love Peace Concert in Kingston. He’s pictured here on stage during the concert with former Prime Minister of Jamaica Edward Seaga on April 22, 1978.
In 1979, Marley released the album “Survival” that reflected politics and the struggles of Africa with songs like “Africa Unite” and “Wake Up and Live.” He was even invited to perform at Zimbabwe’s Independence Day celebration.
In 1980, Marley released his final studio album, “Uprising” with songs like “Redemption Song” and “Forever Loving Jah.” The album “Confrontation” would be released later posthumously in 1983 and included unreleased material including the hit song “Buffalo Soldier.”
On May 11, 1981, Bob Marley tragically passed away from melanoma cancer after a growth was found under a nail of his toe in July of 1977. His last performance was in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Sept. 23, 1980 before his health quickly deteriorated. After canceling the rest of his tour, Marley tried to fight the cancer at a Bavarian clinic before it spread through his body and ultimately claimed his life. He was only 36-years-old.
After passing away at University of Miami Hospital during an emergency landing, Marley was flown to Jamaica where he was honored with a state funeral on May 21, 1981. Here, priests and clergy from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church lead a procession out of the National Arena in Kingston, Jamaica during his funeral.
The funeral eulogy was delivered by Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga and attended by hundreds includng his wife Rita (c.) and children including Ziggy (l.) and Stephen.
Marley is survived by his wife Rita and his 11 children. He had three children with his wife Rita (Cedella, David “Ziggy” and Stephen), two adopted from Rita’s previous relationship (Sharon and Stephanie), and six with different women (Robert to Pat Williams, Rohan to Janet Hunt, Karen to Janet Bowen, Julian to Lucy Pounder, Ky-Mani to Anita Belnavis and Damian to Cindy Breakspeare.) Damian, Ziggy, Stephen, Ky-Mani and Julian Marley are pictured here on stage during the “Roots, Rock, Reggae Tour 2004.”
Rita Marley (C), the widow of Jamaican reggae star Bob Marley, poses with children Stephanie (L) and Robert Marley (R) after her late husband was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to commemorate his 56th birthday on Feb. 6, 2001 in Los Angeles.
