Bob Marley’s influence continues through his music, messages of peace and unity, and the lasting impact he made on reggae and popular culture.
His songs still resonate with listeners around the world, reflecting his enduring legacy.
In 1977, while at the peak of his career, Bob Marley was diagnosed with a rare skin cancer. Despite the diagnosis, he continued to perform and tour.
After a seizure during a soccer game in Central Park, doctors found the cancer had spread, giving him only months to live.
Throughout this, Marley remained positive and continued to inspire through his music.
“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,’ ” his friend and personal physician Dr. Carlton “Pee Wee” Fraser recalled in the 2012 documentary Marley.
Bob Marley passed away on May 11, 1981, in Miami after exploring alternative treatments globally.
On what would have been his 79th birthday in 2024, his son Ziggy Marley, who was 12 when Bob died, wrote a heartfelt letter to his father.
“I miss everything [about you], but mainly your presence,” Ziggy wrote.
“I listen to you. Your songs are always playing — when I go to my mother [Rita’s] house, music is on. Bob is on. Music is always around.”
He continued,
“My smile is honoring you. I laugh, and it looks like your laugh. Pieces of you are a part of me.
You would’ve loved being a grandpa [Ziggy is a dad to seven children]. I see a little bit of something of you [in them] every now and again. It’s lovely to see. It’s joyful.
The grandkids get a piece of you through us. Everything we do is connected to you.”
Death Cause of Bob Marley
Bob Marley died from acral lentiginous melanoma, a rare form of skin cancer that had spread throughout his body.
He was initially diagnosed in July 1977 after seeking treatment for a lesion on his right foot, which he had initially thought was a soccer injury. A biopsy confirmed it was cancer.
Though the doctor recommended amputating his toe, Bob Marley chose to remove the nail and some affected tissue for a skin graft instead.
He continued to perform and tour without further medical treatment for several years.
By September 1980, Bob Marley’s cancer had advanced significantly. After performing two shows at Madison Square Garden, he collapsed while exercising in Central Park.
At Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, doctors found that the cancer had spread to his brain, lungs, and other organs, giving him just a few months to live.
His manager, Danny Sims, recalled a doctor’s grim assessment of Marley’s condition.
Marley played his final concert in Pittsburgh shortly after, and his road manager, Allan Cole, decided to cancel the remaining tour dates.
Marley underwent chemotherapy, but when his condition didn’t improve, Cole sought alternative treatments.
He attended a cancer seminar and met a controversial German doctor who offered a holistic, diet-based approach.
“There was a German doctor, Dr. Josef Issels, who was there. He is the only man on record to have cured that form of cancer — melanoma.
He was the top cancer specialist who did not use the conventional style of curing cancer. He was anti-system and was against the drug company,” Cole told.
Bob Marley traveled to Germany to undergo treatment at Issels’ clinic, continuing this holistic method for eight months.
By May 1981, his health had worsened, leading him to choose to stop the treatment.
In the months before his death, Bob Marley received treatment in Germany. Realizing his cancer was terminal, he decided to return to Jamaica for his remaining time.
However, he fell ill during the flight and the plane landed in Miami. He was taken to Cedars of Lebanon Hospital, where he died a few days later.
