The music legend, Bob Marley had a very different task at hand that is to spread the music of his land, reggae all around the world. By popularising the music genre, Marley wanted to convey to his mass audience the troubles of his land. The words of his songs danced with meanings that were far-reaching both to an individual and to a community.
The Redemption Song writer had his music as a mix of early ska, rock steady, and reggae, which influenced the world to switch its taste in music. This made Bob Marley a well-known name around the world. The beats of Marley’s songs became a trend around the world in the 70s. But the artist had a very short life. Here’s more about the singer.
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What Happened To Bob Marley?
It was in 1977 that Marley was diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma. This is a form of skin cancer. It had started to spread from under a nail of his toe. The singer had first seen it while playing football in 1977. He had a foot injury while playing which got worse with time. When the doctors discovered that it was cancer, they suggested amputating his toe.
The Jamming singer is a follower of the Rastafarian faith. It was considered a sin to remove any part of their body that the followers worshipped as a temple to be removed. Instead, Marley had agreed to a skin graft. However, this did not work effectively and cancer spread throughout his body by 1980. Finally leading to the singer’s demise.
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The Reggae Legend’s Final Days
The artist had his final concert in Pittsburgh in September 1980. While on this tour, the singer was jogging through Central Park when he collapsed and fell. As his body weakened Bob Marley flew to Germany to better his health with a diet-based treatment under Josef Issels. The artist had to cancel all his live dates as he went into this retreat.
Though he underwent eight months of treatment, it did not make much difference. Thus he decided to return back home to Jamaica. On the flight back, Marley’s condition worsened and he was rushed to the hospital on arrival in Maimi. He died on May 11, 1981. A state funeral for the legend was held in Jamaica on May 21, 1981. He was buried along with his Gibson Les Paul guitar, in a chapel near his birthplace.
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