Legend’s Legacy: 15 Fascinating Facts About Bob Marley and His Remarkable Family
Bob Marley had three children born within 30 days of each other.
There are some interesting facts about Bob Marley.
1. He was actually born Nestor Robert Marley, but people pointed out that Nestor seemed like a girl’s name, so his first and middle names were switched.
2. His father, Norval Sinclaire Marley, was a white naval officer. He was working as a supervisor on a plantation.
3. He met Bob’s mother, Cedella Booker. Marley was around 60 years old when Bob was born. He separated from Cedella shortly after.
3. Marley was bullied by neighbors.
They derogatorily referred to him as a white boy. Later, he earned the nickname Tuff Gong
He was resilient, brave, and skilled as a street fighter.
Marley gave this name to his record label.
4. At the age of four, Marley could read poems. His predictions would come true.
He stopped reading poems. At seven, he decided to become a singer instead.
5. Rita Anderson was his only wife.
She was a Sunday school teacher.
Rita landed a gig at the musical Soulette.
She met Marley in the studio and slowly fell in love.
He struggled with speaking to her at first.
Marley sent letters to Rita for Bonny Livingston, even though they saw each other all the time.
He adopted Rita’s daughter from her previous marriage.
They went on to have three children together.
Extramarital affairs were frequent on both sides.
Marley had several other children with other women.
He also adopted a child, Rita, from another man.
6. Officially, Bob Marley had eleven children.
Three of them were born in 1972.
His son Robbie was born on May 16th to Pat Williams.
Three days later, Janet Hunt gave birth to Rohan Marley.
Stephen Marley was born on April 20th to Bob’s wife, Rita.
7. Marley was a rough dad.
His children recall that he had a competitive nature.
Even when he was playing with them, Marley tried to toughen up his kids.
His daughter once complained that she had no friends.
Marley said she didn’t need them at all.
8. Football was Marley’s major passion in life.
Footballer Alan Skill Cole was his tour manager.
Marley was regularly spotted with his team.
They played in car parks and even in recording studios.
9. Marley was a Rastafarian.
Smoking weed was a religious ritual for him.
It’s rumored that he smoked around 18 joints a day.
10. Marley grew up poor.
After he found success, he bought houses for his friends.
11. Marley owned a BMW.
He liked that it had the initials of Bob Marley in the wailers.
Marley received the order of merit from Jamaica.
This award is given to prominent citizens of Jamaica.
The motto of the order is He who does truth comes into the light.
13. In 1978, the UN awarded Marley a piece medal.
They recognized his advocacy for disenfranchised blacks.
He received the medal from African delegates.
14. Bob Marley died on May 11th, 1981, at the age of 36.
He was buried nine miles away in a bronze coffin.
Over 6,000 people were at the service at the National Arena.
He was buried with a football, a guitar, a bud of ganja, and a ring.
The ring was given to him by Prince Amha Selassie of Ethiopia.
15. After his death, Marley’s music continued to earn him money.
In 2019, he was the fifth-highest-earning dead celebrity.
In summary, Bob Marley’s life was full of interesting stories, from tough times in his early years to becoming a famous musician worldwide.
Besides his awesome music, Marley had a complicated personal life, loved playing football, and cared about making the world better.
Despite facing problems, people still love and remember Marley, and his music keeps making an impact.
Even after he passed away in 1981, he’s still a big deal, showing us that his influence and great tunes are here to stay.