Jamaica is an amazing island and it gave use a lot of important people and celebrities. Bob Marley, the king of reggae is one of the most renowned Jamaican citizens. He was one of the greatest singers and songwriters of all time and he managed to make reggae and ska more known to the public.

In this article we are going to talk about the life and the musical career of Bob Marley. Like many celebrities, he had a controversial life. Even his death was a bit controversial. Many people are still wondering what did Bob Marley die from. Keep reading to find more information about his life and career.

Early Life

Robert Nesta Marley, later known as Bob Marley, was born on 6 February 1945 in St. Ann Jamaica. His father was an English captain and his mother was a Jamaican citizen. Unfortunately, his father did not play a major role in the life of Bob Marley. This is why he grew up with his mother in the rural part of Jamaica.

After he turned 12, he moved to Kingston in Trench Town which was a rough part of the town. When he lived in Kingston, Bob met a lot of singers, but he really connected with Peter Tosh and Neville Bunny Livingston. Together, they started “The Wailers”. After they had a lot of hit songs, the group split up and each one of the singers begun a solo career.

Music Career

His music still speaks to thousands of people, even after decades passed since he died. The Rastafarian religion and kind of life was the one that made Bob Marley’s music so special. He decided to speak about the oppression. One of its songs even mentioned that he considers himself to be on the side of God, not on the side of black or white people.

He was and still is the pioneer of reggae music. Before him, this genre was less known, and it wasn’t very appreciated. However, until he became one of the most well-known and appreciated songwriters and singers, he faced some problems and misconceptions from all Jamaicans because of his Rastafarian religion and way of life.

Due to the fact that oppression, division, inequality, and economical problems dominated the world, he considered that he could help people through his music. His voice was finally being heard and it became the voice of the everyday woman and men. Since the Civil Right leaders were dead (Martin Luther King Jr.) or imprisoned (Nelson Mandela), the words of Bob Marley had success.

Songs like One Love gave people the strength to carry on and to fight for what it right. There are a lot of songs that made people connect and get past their differences. When he was writing those lyrics, Bob Marley believed that the world was going to change, and that race would finally become insignificant. Love and humanity were the ones that should have transcend all.

Injury and Death

In 1977, Bob Marley was playing football in France. This was one of his biggest hobbies. However, this was also the one that caused his death. When he was playing he suffered an injury to his big toe and he ignored it for a long time.

After the toe was infected, doctors told him that he was suffering from melanoma which is a form of skin cancer. Unfortunately, Marley didn’t want to undergo surgery and have his toe amputated. He then decided to consult a Rastafarian physician. The physician wanted to cure Bob Marley with a combination of herbal remedies.

Once Bob Marley realized that the problem was not going away with herbal remedies, he decided to let doctors remove the nail bed on the big toe. Despite the fact that the operation was a success, the cancer spread all over his body. He collapsed while running and Central Park in NYC in the 1980. He then discovered that he was going to die because of the cancer.

Because there was no treatment since the cancer had spread, doctors told him to carry on with his life as usual. Bob Marley continued to spread love and peace with his songs until 1981. After his last show in Pittsburg, he spent most of his time in the hospital trying to recover but the cancer was stronger.

Even years after his death, the songs written and sang by Bob Marley are still legendary. They manage to connect people, to make them forget about their differences and to spread the love and peace all around the world. Bob Marley is a big personality in Jamaica and he received the Order of Merit postmortem.