Bob Marley was a Jamaican singer-songwriter who died at age 36 in Miami, USA due to skin cancer. He dated several women during his lifetime and married Rita Marley in 1966. Still married to Rita, he continued to date other women and fathered many children thereafter. He was a member of the band “Bob Marley and the Wailers” and only released studio albums as part of the band, the most famous album being Exodus (1977).

Born name

Robert Nesta Marley

nickname

Bob Marley, Donald Marley

Alter

Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945.

Died

Bob Marley died on May 11, 1981 at the age of 36. He was suffering from skin cancer and was in Miami, Florida at the time of his death.

Sun sign

Aquarius

Place of birth

Nine Mile, Saint Ann Parish, British Jamaica

nationality

training

Bob Marley went to Stepney Primary and Junior High School .

occupation

Singer, Songwriter, Musician

family

• Father – Norval Sinclair Marley (Captain of the Royal Marines and Plantation Overseer)
• Mother – Cedella Booker (singer, songwriter and author)
• Siblings – Richard Booker (Step-Brother), Anthony Booker (Step-Brother), Claudette Pearl (Younger Half-Sister)
• Others – Edward Booker (stepfather) (American Civil servant), Albert Thomas Marley (paternal grandfather), Ellen Bloomfield (paternal grandmother), Omeriah/Amariah Malcolm (maternal grandfather), Alberta/Albertha Willoughby/Whilby (maternal grandmother)

Manager

unknown

Genre

Reggae, Ska, Rocksteady

instruments

Vocals, guitar, drums

labels

Beverleys, Studio One, JAD, Wail’n Soul’m, Upsetter, Tuff Gong, Island Records

Build

Slim

Height

5 feet 7 inches or 170 cm

weight

64 kg or 141 lbs

girlfriend/spouse

Bob Marley has dated

1. Cheryl Murray (1961-1963) – In 1961, Bob Marley is said to have started dating English actress Cheryl Murray. Their relationship lasted about two years. It has also been claimed that Marley is the father of her daughter Imani Carole who was born in May 1963. However, the official Bob Marley website does not recognize Carole as Marley’s daughter.
2. Rita Marley(1965-1981) – Marley began dating singer Rita Anderson in 1965. They married in February 1966. Although Marley went on to have several affairs and Rita also had her arguments outside of their marriage, they remained married until his death . After her marriage, Marley adopted her daughter Sharon from a previous relationship. Rita gave birth to four children during the course of their marriage – singer and actress Cedella (born August 1967), musician David Ziggy (born October 1968), musician Stephen Marley (born April 1972) and Stephanie Marley (born August 1974). Stephanie’s patronage was disputed by Marley’s mother, who claimed she was the daughter of Rita and a man named Ital with whom Rita was having an affair. However, she was officially recognized as Bob’s daughter.
3. Janet Hunt (1971-1972) – In 1971, Marley began having an affair with Janet Hunt. Their affair lasted about a year. During their affair, Janet Hunt gave birth to his son, Rohan Marley, who is a former soccer player and entrepreneur.
4. Pat Williams – In 1972, Marley also had a sexual relationship with Pat Williams. She gave birth to their son, Robert Robbie, in May 1972.
5. Janet Bowen (1972-1973) – Marley reportedly began dating Janet Bowen in 1972. They reportedly dated back to 1973. Marley also fathered their daughter, Karen, who was born in 1973.
6. Lucy Pounder (1974-1975) – Marley’s affair with Lucy Pounder began in 1974 and lasted until 1975. This was another of his affairs which resulted in him fathering an offspring. Lucy gave birth to reggae musician Julian Marley in June 1975.
7. Anita Belnavis (1975-1976) – Marley developed a special crush on Caribbean table tennis champion Anita Belnavis in 1975. Their affair ended in 1976. In February 1976, she gave birth to their son, Ky-Mani Marley, who established his reputation as a hip hop and reggae recording artist.
8. Anna Wintour – Marley is said to have had a falling out with Anna Wintour, best known as editor-in-chief of popular fashion magazine Vogue, in the mid-’70s. Wintour was introduced to Marley by Jon Bradshaw’s friend. She was dating Jon Bradshaw at the time. It was claimed she disappeared with Marley for a week. However, Wintour has denied having an affair with Marley and has even insisted that she never met Marley. But during her appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden , she claimed she would have hooked up with Marley if she had ever met him.
9. Cindy Breakspeare – In the late ’70s, Marley was in a relationship with model and beauty queen Cindy Breakspeare, who was crowned Miss World in 1976. He himself confirmed their relationship by claiming in one of his interviews that she is one of his friends. During his exile in England he lived with Breakspeare, not his wife Rita Marley. In July 1978, she gave birth to Marley’s youngest son, Damian Marley.
10. Yvette Crichton (1980-1981) – At the time of his death, Marley was having an affair with Yvette Crichton. They had reportedly started seeing each other in 1980. After Marley’s death, she gave birth to a baby girl, Makeda, in May 1981. Multiple sources claim Marley is Makeda’s father.

race/ethnicity

multiracial

He has English and Afro-Jamaican ancestry. It is also claimed that he has traces of Syrian-Jewish roots on his father’s side.

hair colour

Schwarz

eye color

dark brown

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

• His trademark is dreadlocks hairstyle
• Bart

brand promotion

Bob Marley’s song was used in a commercial for “Visit Jamaica”.

He himself was featured in an Adidas ad.

Religion

He was one of the best known and most popular representatives of the Rastafari movement. He even started his stage show by proclaiming the divinity of Jah Rastafari.

Known for

• As one of the most successful and popular reggae musicians. The worldwide turnover of his records and albums is over 75 million.
• As a global musical and cultural icon.
• The everlasting success and popularity of his singles like Exodus, Wait in Vain, Jamme , and Eine Liebe .
• The immense success of his studio album, Exodus, which stayed in the UK music charts for 56 consecutive weeks. It has been certified eight times “Platinum” in Canada and “Gold” in the US and UK.

First album

His musical group Bob Marley & The Wailers released their debut studio album, The Wailing Wailers , in 1965.

first movie

He has not been in a movie in his life.

First TV show

In 1973, Bob Marley made his first TV show appearance in the music TV series, Whistle Test , which was originally titled The Old Gray Whistle Test .

Personal trainer

Bob Marley relied on his love of football to keep himself fit. He often played with his friends in his backyard. Bob also ate healthy to stay in shape. He gave up ice cream and commercial pastries. He focused on eating fish, grains, vegetables, and various porridges. He also had Irish Moss Blends, fruit juices and nut shakes.

Bob Marley favorite things

• Football Club – Santos FC
• Football player – Pele

Bob Marley Facts

1. His collaborator, Bunny Wailer, was his childhood friend. They had started making music together while studying at Stepney Primary and Junior High School.
2. Later, Marley and Wailer started living in the same house after Marley’s mother started dating Wailer’s father.
3. In 1963 he performed with Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer, Beverley Kelso, Junior Braithwaite and Cherry Smith in the music group known as teenagers.
4. They later decided to change their name to Wailing Rudeboys and then Wailing Wailers. When they switched to the latter, they were spotted by music producer Coxsone Dodd.
5. In February 1964 they released their debut single Calm Down for the Coxsone label and the single managed to reach the top of the Jamaican music charts.
6. In 1966 he worked briefly on the assembly line at a Chrysler plant and as a lab assistant for DuPont after moving to Delaware with his new wife to live near his mother.
7. In the late ’60s, after returning to Jamaica, he formally joined the Rastafarian movement and began growing his trademark dreadlocks.
8. In 1972 he signed a record deal with CBS Records and started the UK tour with his band. He had also teamed up with American soul singer Johnny Nash for the tour.
9. In 1974, his band was signed up to open Sly and the Family Stone for 17 shows of their US tour. However, they were fired after only 4 shows as they turned out to be more popular than the group they were supposed to open.
10. In 1974, his musical band “The Wailers” was dissolved. When the three main members were dissolved, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer and Marley decided to focus on their solo work. It has been claimed that they also had creative disagreements over their performances.
11. He had his international breakthrough in 1975 when his single Nein Frau, wein nicht managed to chart very high on the music charts around the world.
12. In December 1976, Marley, his wife and his manager Don Taylor were attacked at Marley’s by an unidentified gunman. He had minor injuries to his chest and arms.
13. The attack on his home was thought to be politically motivated as he attempted to perform at Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley’s free concert two days later. Despite the attack, Marley chose to go with his performance.
14. In 1976 he went to England, where he stayed for two years during his self-imposed exile from Jamaica. He recorded his legendary album Exodus in England.
15. In 1978 he returned to Jamaica and marked his return with another concert by Michael Manley, deepening tensions between his People’s Party and the rival Jamaica Labor Party.
16. In 1979 he released his politically charged album Survival , in which he extended his support to the struggles of the African continent.
17. In July 1977, doctors discovered a type of malignant melanoma under the nail of his toe. Doctors advised amputating his toe, but he declined the advice, citing his religious beliefs.
18. After refusing amputation, the nail and nail bed were removed and the area covered with the skin graft taken from his thigh.
19. In 1980, his riot tour was canceled after his health had deteriorated due to the spread of cancer throughout his body. He went to Josef Issels’ clinic in Bavaria for alternative treatment, but his 8-month stay did not improve his condition.
20. He was very vocal about his marijuana use and was a staunch supporter of legalizing the drug.
21. In 1968 he was arrested after being caught with cannabis in England. However, he did not give up using cannabis, instead starting to get it from CBD Soothe who usually cater to people who use cannabis for health purposes.
22. In 1978, Bob was honored with the International Peace Medal by the African delegation to the United Nations for his tireless activism work in support of the African community.
23. Entertainment Weekly named him the 11th greatest rock ‘n’ roll artist of all time in a poll of its readers.
24. Time magazine chose his studio album from Exodus as the greatest album of the 20th century.
25. He used the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie’s speech he delivered at the United Nations to compose lyrics for his song. War.
26. In May 2001, BBC News online users voted him the third greatest copywriter of all time, behind Bob Dylan and John Lennon.
27. In 1980 he was an official guest at the independence celebrations in Zimbabwe. He later claimed this was the highest honor he received in his life.
28. In 2006, the City of New York decided to rename the section of Church Avenue from Remsen Avenue to 98th Street in Brooklyn as Bob Marley Boulevard.
29. He was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his recordings at the legendary 7080 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.
30. Visit his official website @ bobmarley.com
31. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Google+, MySpace and Pinterest.