What Exactly Did Bob Marley Die From?
Black America Web Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Graham Wiltshire / Getty
Bob Marley was more than just a musician—he was a cultural icon whose voice became synonymous with resistance, peace, and the pursuit of justice. Through timeless hits like 'One Love,' 'Redemption Song,' and 'Get Up, Stand Up,' the Jamaican singer-songwriter used his music to unite people across continents and inspire generations to rise against oppression and embrace love. His distinct blend of reggae, rock, and spirituality carved a new path for protest music, and his messages of equality and human rights continue to echo decades after his death.
Born in the small village of Nine Mile in Jamaica, Marley rose from humble beginnings to become one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. His powerful lyrics and magnetic stage presence earned him worldwide acclaim and turned reggae into a global phenomenon. But just as Marley was reaching the pinnacle of his career, tragedy struck.
According to People, Marley had just performed a two-night show at Madison Square Garden with his band, The Wailers, and was touring nonstop, before a seizure would change the trajectory of his career. While playing soccer with friends in Central Park, Marley had a seizure which ultimately helped doctors discover his acral lentiginous melanoma, a rare skin cancer that appears on the palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, or under the nails. Cases of acral lentiginous melanoma make up just 2%–3% of U.S. melanoma cases—about 2,000 cases overall, according to Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine. By the time doctors discovered Marley's cancer, it had tragically spread all across his body. Notably, the singer and activist was notified about his condition before the cancer spread.
People noted that the Jamaican superstar was diagnosed with the condition before his seizure after he paid a visit to the doctor to treat a lesion under his toe on his right foot. Marley was under the impression that the lesion developed due to a soccer injury, 'but an opinion from a second doctor who biopsied the spot revealed that it was cancer.'
Doctors recommended amputating the infected toe, but Marley wanted to go a different route. The singer had the nail and some of the impacted tissue from the area removed for a skin graft, but that wasn't enough to fight off his cancer. Marley went years without medical treatment following the surgery, which led to even more damage. In 1980, the singer was given only a few months to live after his cancer spread to his brain, lungs and organs, but he remained hopeful that his health would rebound.
'Him say, 'Listen, we're gonna fight it, all right? Regardless of what the doctors might say or what they might do, we're gonna fight it. 'Cause a Rasta never give up,'' the superstar's physician, Dr. Carlton 'Pee Wee' Fraser revealed in 2012's Marley .
Source: Watal Asanuma/Shinko Music / Getty
Following his final performance in Pittsburgh, Marley passed away on May 11, 1981, in Miami at just 36 years old. Though his life was tragically cut short, his influence only grew stronger in the years that followed. In 1994, Marley was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a recognition of the indelible mark he left on global music and culture, according to his website. His impact was further cemented in December 1999, when Time Magazine named his 1977 album Exodus the Album of the Century, while the BBC honored his anthem 'One Love' as the Song of the Millennium.
Marley's popularity is reflected in the ongoing success of Legend , the greatest hits compilation released in 1984. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album has consistently sold more than 250,000 copies each year and ranks among a rare group, only the 17th album to surpass 10 million in U.S. sales since SoundScan began tracking in 1991.
Though he was never nominated for a Grammy during his lifetime, Marley received the Recording Academy's Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. This prestigious honor is awarded to artists who have made lasting contributions of artistic significance to the recording industry. That same year, the documentary Rebel Music , directed by Jeremy Marre and chronicling Marley's life and career, received a Grammy nomination for Best Long Form Music Video.
Also in 2001, Marley's legacy was commemorated in Hollywood, where he was awarded the 2,171st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He joined the ranks of other music legends such as Carlos Santana, Stevie Wonder, and The Temptations.
In 2006, Marley's presence was further honored in Brooklyn, New York—home to one of the largest Caribbean communities in the United States—when an eight-block stretch of Church Avenue was officially renamed Bob Marley Boulevard. The tribute was made possible through the efforts of New York City Councilwoman Yvette D. Clarke, highlighting how deeply Marley's message continues to impact communities far from his Jamaican roots.
SEE ALSO:
Watch Bob Marley's Final Trip To Africa To Perform Live In Zimbabwe
'Bob Marley: One Love' Review: A Legendary Life Told In Cinematic Cliff Notes
SEE ALSO
What Exactly Did Bob Marley Die From? was originally published on newsone.com
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
19 hours ago
- USA Today
Woman ‘holds death in her hand,' lives to tell about it
A woman in Japan unknowingly put her life at risk when she bent over and picked up a shell while exploring tide pools. Beckylee Rawls, 29, who lives with her husband in Okinawa, collects shells, and on this day she was videotaping the various creatures in the pools for a TikTok video when she came across a 'beautiful shell.' 'Honestly, the only thing going through my head was, 'That's a pretty shell, let me take a closer look,'' Rawls told People. She held it for about 30 seconds before noticing something inside: a live cone snail. Taken aback, Rawls replaced the shell in the water. She posted a few TikTok videos showing her misstep. As she was leaving, Rawls did an online search for that shell. 'That's when I learned I might have just made the biggest mistake of my life,' she told People. The cone snail is among the most venomous creatures on Earth. The shell isn't dangerous, it's what's inside the shell. Cone snail venom can cause paralysis, respiratory failure and cardiovascular collapse. A sting can be fatal. Also on FTW Outdoors: 'Ghost elephant' seen for first time in years; is it a lone survivor? FOX8 reported that Rawls 'went to the beach and held death in her hand.' Fortunately, she wasn't stung, but the thought that she might have been stung persisted and 'terrified' her. 'My brain kept convincing me that I had been stung and just didn't realize it,' she told People. 'By the fourth day of panic, my husband was sick of reassuring me I was indeed going to live. There is no anti-venom—that's the craziest part. It's a hope-and-pray situation.' It should be noted that humans have survived stings from cone snails, but prompt medical care is crucial. "It's even nicknamed the 'Cigarette Snail' because, according to urban legend, if it stings you, you won't live long enough to finish a final cigarette," Rawls told People. "That chilling reputation really put things into perspective." Photo courtesy of Beckylee Rawls.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Dad, 41, Diagnosed with Alzheimer's: 'You Feel Guilty That You're Doing That to the Kids'
Fraser, a 41-year-old dad, opened up about his experience with early-onset Alzheimer's after being diagnosed with the disease in 2024 On a YouTube channel, he tracks the symptoms that he experiences and how the illness is impacting his family 'You feel guilty that you're doing that to the kids,' he admitted, 'even though it's not your fault'A father with early-onset Alzheimer's disease is sharing how his symptoms began manifesting before his diagnosis — and when his family noticed something was wrong. Fraser, a researcher from Australia, shares an honest look at his journey on his YouTube channel — I (don't) have dementia. The symptoms, he explained, began nearly two and a half years before his diagnosis in 2024. 'I remember I was having some pretty big memory flaws,' Fraser, 41, said in a video, sharing that one incident came when he sat down to watch a movie with his partner, who told him, ''We watched that, like, a month ago.' " He continued, recalling, "Anyway I watched the whole movie and the ending was still a complete surprise — I had no memory of watching it, whatsoever.' Another time, the dad to teenage girls shared that one daughter told him she was going to the movies with friends and would be out late. 'It came to nighttime and I started freaking out thinking, 'Where's my daughter?' Like, I was genuinely freaking out,' Fraser said. Obviously, his kids noticed; he explained in another video: 'I asked my kids, just sort of casually, and they said, like, 'Everyone has memory issues that they have, they forget stuff in everyday life … we just noticed that you were just doing them more often, more frequently.' ' He shared that these days, he writes everything down in a diary as he struggles through 'every day scheduling,' explaining that if plans change, he can recall the original plan but not the revision. Alzheimer's, the most commonly diagnosed form of dementia, is generally diagnosed in older adults, according to John Hopkins Medicine. Treatment can help slow the progression of the disease, but it's not known why some people, like Fraser, develop it early. The ebb and flow of the symptoms, Fraser said in a recent video, can make you 'certain you have it and certain you do not have it.' 'It will change your identity,' he admitted, confessing that he can be 'selfish' and 'not follow through with [his] word.' Fraser shared that when he's in later stages, 'I can largely be off with the fairies, thinking I'm hanging out with my kid friend in primary school.' He said he'd rather his loved ones 'just [go] along with it as opposed to trying to correct me all the time.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. But the hardest part, he added, is knowing how it's impacting his children. 'They're already having to make accommodations,' Fraser said in a video while on a retreat with other people who've been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's. 'Being the parent, who's the one who's supposed to be supportive and the one who's supposed to be there for the kids … that whole issue of that sort of feeling like it's flipping a little bit.' 'You feel guilty that you're doing that to the kids,' he said, 'even though it's not your fault.' Read the original article on People
Black America Web
3 days ago
- Black America Web
Adriana Smith, Brain-Dead Georgia Mom On Life Support, Gives Birth Via C-Section
Source: Courtesy of Family / Courtesy Photo After months of being on life support due to a medical emergency linked to blood clots in her brain, Adriana Smith's baby boy was delivered via C-section prematurely on Friday, June 13, according to local Atlanta affiliate 11Alive. But the miracle birth is a bittersweet one, as Smith's family also has to prepare her funeral. Speaking with the outlet following the birth of her grandson, Smith's mother, April Newkirk, provided an update on the baby's health after weighing in at 1 pound, 13 ounces and being placed in the NICU. 'He's expected to be OK,' Newkirk shared. 'He's just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him. He's here now.' Visibly emotional, Newkirk expressed her feelings about saying a final goodbye to her daughter after months on forced life support due to Georgia's abortion ban. 'It's kind of hard, you know,' she said of her daughter, who turned 31 years old on June 15. 'It's hard to process. I'm her mother. I shouldn't be burying my daughter. My daughter should be burying me.' 'If I could say one more thing to her, I guess I would tell her that I love her and that she was a great daughter,' Newkirk added. Per Georgia law, most abortions are banned after cardiac activity is detected, which is around six weeks of pregnancy and before many women even realize they are pregnant. On February 19, Smith, a nurse, was declared brain dead at eight weeks pregnant. Newkirk said doctors then informed her that due to Georgia's abortion law, House Bill 481 or the LIFE Act, they were required to keep Smith on life support until the baby could be delivered, according to 11Alive. However, the LIFE Act does not explicitly address situations involving brain death, which experts say has caused confusion. The Georgia Attorney General's Office issued a statement back in May addressing the controversial law. 'There is nothing in the LIFE Act that requires medical professionals to keep a woman on life support after brain death,' said office spokesperson Kara Murray. 'Removing life support is not an action with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy.' 'I'm not saying we would have chosen to terminate her pregnancy. But I'm saying we should have had a choice,' Newkirk previously told the outlet of her daughter's right to choose. 'I think all women should have a choice about their body. And I think I want people to know that.' 'The same field that she worked in is the same people that failed her,' Newkirk said. SEE ALSO Adriana Smith, Brain-Dead Georgia Mom On Life Support, Gives Birth Via C-Section was originally published on Black America Web Featured Video CLOSE
