10 Tragic Details Surrounding The Death Of Bob Marley

6 /10 Malignancy

He had acral lentiginous melanoma, a unique skin cancer that is not caused by sun damage, hence why it first appeared and was sustained underneath his toenail, where it was effectively hidden for so long.

It was also not a widely recognized or easily treated form of cancer, so his prognosis was grim, and he was given a short time to live if no primary intervention was undertaken.

But Marley refused to amputate the toe, instead opting for a skin graft to cover the growth.

5 /10 The Rastafari

Marley was highly motivated by his religion, Rastafarianism, an afro-centric school of belief and alternative perspective from mainstream Christianity, which focuses on Africa’s setting and its people who are the actual ancestors and figures described in the Bible by natural design.

They also thought that Ras Tafari, the Emperor of Ethiopia at the time, was the second coming of Christ himself.

Part of the religion’s belief is in the sacrament or ceremonial use of cannabis as interpreted from Biblical passages, tied to Marley’s image as a marijuana user.

4 /10 Exodus

Aggressive cancer eventually spread through Marley’s body to his lungs and brain, where it became inoperable.

Once that was discovered, he took a leave to Bavaria to attempt a more homeopathic remedy, but his health only worsened over time.

He was relocated after five months of failed treatment and fainted during a jog in London, at which point he was flown home to Jamaica, where he died in his hoe country where he wanted to be.

3 /10 Catch A Fire

The death of anyone is enough to question why, and Marley’s friends and followers had a lot of questions.

The rumor that his cancer started from a football injury was twisted into a conspiracy that he was once gifted a set of shoes by undercover CIA agents that had radioactive copper wiring inside that was designed to prick his toe and poison him, for spreading the message of Jah and other revolutionary ideas at a pivotal post-Civil Rights time in the states.

2 /10 Soul Revolution

Another theory surrounded his last treating physician, Josef Issels in Bavaria, who was revealed to be a former member of the Nazi party and had an on-record hatred for black people.

His treatments were largely unfounded and experimental, as well as degrading. He starved Bob until he was just 80 pounds as a 36-year-old man, assuredly accelerating his deterioration.

Yet more blamed his manager for coordinating his death so his wife Rita could inherit his wealth.

1 /10 Reggae Lives On

The sadness that struck the world with Bob Marley’s untimely death in 1981 was part of what helped his music endure. His name has become iconically tied to the peaceful, joyful spirit of Reggae.

Still, it has been forgotten as the spiritual and sometimes impassioned speaker who sought unity through music to end political strife and empower the disenfranchised minorities of the world.

It’s easy to be angry when such a prominent figure dies, but listening to his music, anger is not what he left the world with; it was love.