Robert Nesta Marley, also known as Bob Marley, was one of the greatest voices of a generation. In 1981 he lost the battle to cancer and his last words represent the kind of person he was.
“Money can’t buy life” was the last sentence that Bob Marley said to his son Ziggy minutes before his passing. The icon of reggae music Bob Marley passed away after battling cancer for 8 months at the age of 36. His last words were spoken in a clinic in Miami, in which Marley was receiving treatment.
Bob Marley left a legacy that goes way beyond his music; sadly not too many people know his full story. That’s why we decided to honor this character with a journey through his life, his work, and especially his last days.
Bob’s Death
Since Bob Marley lived a very pacific life, his passing was something that took the world by surprise. He was 36 years old at the moment of his death and he was actually traveling to Jamaica after taking a pause on his cancer treatment. Sadly this journey had an early end when Marley’s condition worsened and they had to make a stop in Miami.
Bob Marley left this world on a hospital bed on May 11, 1981. The reason behind Marley’s death was acral lentiginous melanoma, a rare form of skin cancer. Even though the singer was diagnosed in 1977 after he noticed a weird injury on his toe, he decided not to follow the doctors’ advice to start treatment.
He was told that the best way to deal with the disease was to amputate his toe, but Marley declined due to his religion.
The performer was one of the most famous members of the Rastafari movement and according to this religion, it’s a sin to have any part of your body removed. However, he did agree to have a skin graft, but this wasn’t enough to stop cancer.
3 years after his diagnosis, he was touring in the U.S when he suddenly collapsed while jogging in NY. Apparently, the soccer injury that caused cancer on Marley’s toe had metastasized to his brain. Despite being seriously ill, Bob Marley decided to do what turned out to be his last concert.
Pittsburg was the last city to hear him sing; the crowd didn’t know about the singer’s disease at that time.
Since his health wouldn’t allow him to continue performing, he canceled the rest of the tour and spent the next 8 months battling cancer. He even visited Germany to start treatment, but the results were not satisfactory.
Finally, Marley and his family decided to go back to Jamaica. Unfortunately, they had to stop because of the singer’s worsening condition.
The reggae legend said his last words to his son, alongside his family. “Money can’t buy life,” he said before leaving this world, but his legacy is still more alive than ever.
Some fans of his music even have a few theories about his last days, rumoring that the CIA gave Marley cancer using a pair of boots with radioactive copper inside. Other conspiracists allege that Dr. Josef Issels was a former SS physician and that he poisoned Bob Marley to cooperate with the CIA.
Despite him being gone, his message of love, tolerance, and peace is still alive in people’s hearts.
A Short Life But a Long Legacy
Despite all the obstacles that Jamaican artists had in the 70s, Marley and his band The Wailers achieved huge success shortly after they started their careers. Probably the reason for this was the rebellious spirit of the performer, which inspired people in Jamaica to know the real situation of the country.
He also implored people to rebel against the vampiric Babylon system of capitalism.
Marley fought his entire career to help the people of Jamaica by sharing his culture with the rest of the world. Alongside The Wailers, they released 11 studio albums and even today their music inspires musicians of all genres.
His song “One Love” was designated as the song of the Millenium by the BBC and he even received his home country’s Order of Merit, the third-highest honor in Jamaica.
“Money Can’t Buy Life”
Bob Marley’s battle was against capitalism and slave labor and had a profound love for Jamaican cultural sovereignty. His last words were probably his own particular way of letting his family know that money is not everything in life and that a person’s true value cannot be bought, for the soul is priceless.
Many years after his passing we keep remembering this legend with the same one love he shared with the world.