Just How Did Bob Marley Die?
Many people ask How did Bob Marley Die? Maybe they’re curious to know how this great legend left us so early. We’ll answer this question, How Did Bob Marley Die, below.
Why, Where and How Did Bob Marley Die ?
Bob Marley died at age 36 in a Miami hospital in 1981 as a result of a malignant melanoma which is a type of skin cancer that began from an injured toe and later spread to his lungs and brain.
The Jamaican reggae superstar had injured his toe during a soccer match with his friends in 1977. At the time, he dismissed the injury but finally went to see a doctor as the wound refused to heal. The doctor diagnosed him with melanoma and recommended amputation of the toe in order to save his life. However, as a devoted Rastafarian, Bob Marley refused to have the affected toe removed.
Rastafarians believe that any altercation of the body is sinful and that the body should be kept whole. In fact, it is for this same reason that Rastafarians have their most notable attribute – dreadlocks. Their religion holds strong belief in this verse of the bible from Levitius 21:5 – “They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in the flesh”.
How Did Bob Marley Die – The Cancer
By the end of 1980, Bob Marley’s health was quickly deteriorating and the cancer had spread to other parts of his body – his lungs and brain. While performing in New York City, the singer collapsed while on stage. The following day, he collapse again while running in Central Park. He was then diagnosed with a brain tumor which resulted from the untreated cancer in his toe.
Despite news of his terminal illness, Marley’s love for music allowed him to perform in Pittsburgh in September 1980.
Marley traveled to Germany to receive treatment from a holistic physician but treatment was of course unsuccessful and the singer resolved to return to his home country, Jamaica. His condition worsen on the flight home and his plane had to make an emergency stop in Miami. Bob Marley died on the morning of May 11th, 1981 at the age of 36 at the Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami, Florida.
His last words to his son, Ziggy, were: “Money can’t buy life.”
Bob Marley’s contributions to the advancement and acceptance of reggae music was tremendous. For that fact and the fact that his early death could have been prevented by simply removing his injured toe, makes the question How did Bob Marley die a popular one among young fans who are now discovering his legend.