Bob Marley Net Worth, Biography, Age, Height & More

Ahead of the February 2024 release of the biopic Bob Marley: One Love, produced by Bob’s son Ziggy, many fans are interested in learning more about Bob Marley’s net worth and legacy. 

Bob Marley is one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century. His voice, lyrics, and intense personality attracted fans all around the world. He has sold over 75 million reggae albums worldwide, which makes him one of the best-selling artists of all time. Sadly, he was taken away from us too soon. Bob passed away from Cancer on May 11, 1981. Marley is recognized for contributing to the global popularization of the Rastafari movement and reggae as a singer-songwriter. 

Here’s everything to know about Bob Marley’s net worth, biography, age, career, family, and more. Read on. 

Who is Bob Marley? 

Bob Marley was a Jamaican reggae musician. Reggae music was merely a specialized genre that was hardly getting recognition outside of Jamaica until he made his debut. The artist formed “The Wailers” and “Bob Marley,” and with them, he turned reggae almost into an iconic genre. 

Bob is best known for his reggae, ska, and rocksteady songs, including the hits “No Woman, No Cry,” “I Shot the Sheriff,” “Three Little Birds,” “Exodus,” “Jamming,” “Could You Be Loved,” and “Redemption Song. Marley was also known for his Love and support for the legalization of cannabis, which was a big fuss at the time, and he was the subject of attempted assassination. 

Unfortunately, he developed cancer in 1977 and died at the age of 36. He was buried in a Chapel in Jamaica with his guitar and a bible. His final words to his son were, “Money cannot buy life.” Long after his passing, Bob Marley continued to inspire generations with his music, which incorporated spirituality and themes of unity and peace. 

Bob Marley: Biography

Nesta Robert Marley, better known as Bob Marley, was born in Nine Mile, St Anne Parish, Jamaica, in February 1945. His mother, Cedella Booker, was just 19 years old at the time of his birth. His father, Norval Marley, was a 60-year-old white naval officer who managed the plantation in the area of the British Government. 

After being disinherited by his own wealthy family for marrying a Black woman, Marley’s father left him virtually kidnapped. He was sent to live with an elderly woman in Kingston until a family friend accidentally found him again and brought him back to Nine Miles village. Unfortunately, Norval abandoned Bob’s mother not long after he was born, and he didn’t spend much time with his son until he passed away from a heart attack when Bob was ten. 

After an immigration inspector said his name was too girlish, his mother changed it to Robert Nesta Marley. Bob Marley claimed that as a child, he was frequently teased for being of biracial heritage and called a “White boy.”

Despite this, he identified as black and strongly supported the Rastafari and Back to Africa movements. In The Wailers Soul Shack record store, he displayed posters of Che Guevara and the Black Panthers. 

Bob attended a private school in Kingston, Jamaica. During childhood, he was taking singing lessons, mastering his guitar skills, and performing in local talent shows. 

How Did Bob Marley Die?

Bob was diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma, a kind of skin cancer, in July 1977. After he sustained an accident while playing football, the cancer was found to have spread from under one of his toenails. He had a skin transplant instead of having his toe amputated since he refused to have it done, but the cancer spread throughout his entire body. There was no other option left. 

Later, during an American tour, he collapsed while jogging around Central Park in New York City, and in 1980, he made his last tour stop in Pittsburgh. 

Marley booked a plane to fly back to Jamaica as his health began to deteriorate. When Marley’s health worsened throughout the flight, the plane made an emergency landing in Miami, where he passed tragically. On May 21, 1981, the musician received a state funeral in Jamaica, during which Jamaican Prime Minister Edward delivered the eulogy.

Career and Professional Life

Marley entered the music scene in 1963 when he created “The Wailers” with his fellow buddies, forging a unique vocal and songwriting style that would go on to become popular all over the world. With producers Lee Scratch Perry, The Wailers put out some of the first reggae albums; in 1964, their song “Simmer Down” peaked at number one in Jamaica. 

Following the band’s dissolution in 1974, Marley focused on his solo career, which led to the release of the album “Exodus” in 1977. This album cemented Marley’s reputation as one of the world’s best-selling artists, having sold over 75 million albums and singles. 

Marley recorded thirteen studio albums—one of which was released posthumously—as well as six live albums. Notable singles from his albums include “Redemption Song,” “I Shot the Sheriff,” “No Woman, No Cry,” “One Love,” and “Get Up, Stand Up.” Even while Marley’s music was mostly associated with reggae, it also had elements of ska and rocksteady. 

His greatest hits album, “Legend,” is the best-selling reggae record ever. In 1994, the 36-year-old musician received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame posthumously.

Interest

Besides music, Marley’s greatest interest in life was football, and he surrounded himself with football players. He appointed Jamaican international football player Allan “Skill” Cole as his tour manager throughout the 1970s, and he was frequently seen playing with his squad in fields, parks, parking lots, and even recording studios. 

There is some disagreement over Marley’s preferred team; some claim he was a Tottenham Hotspur supporter, but we do know he was a major Pelé admirer and was passionate about the Brazil squad in general. “You will have to play football against me and the Wailers if you want to get to know me,” he once said to a journalist. 

Bob Marley: Personal Life

Bob Marley married Alpharita Constantia ‘Rita’ Anderson in Kingston, Jamaica, on February 10, 1966, when he was 21 years old. The pair remained married until the day he died. So, Rita is now a widow. Though their relationships had ups and downs, Rita was the most influential broker of Marley’s assets. Together, they had four children: Cedella, Ziggy, Stephen, and Stephanie. Bob also had children with other women, totaling eleven recognized children. 

Marley had numerous relationships with well-known people, including Miss World 1976 Cindy Shakespeare and Caribbean table tennis champion Anita Belnavis. Extramarital affairs (on both sides) were a recurrent theme. Envious of her husband’s extramarital affairs, Anderson is said to have moved to have two more children with different men while she was married to Marley. So Bob adopted them.  

How Many Children Does Bobby Marley Have? 

Bob Marley was the responsible father of 11 children. He welcomed four kids with his wife Rita Marley — Cedella, Stephen, Stephanie, and Ziggy. During his marriage to Rita, Bob Marley also had other children, all of whom had different mothers.

Here’s the list of his children’s names:

• Sharon Marley Pendergast (58)
• Cedella Marley Minto (55)
• David “Ziggy” Marley (54) 
• Stephen Marley (52) 
• Rober “Robbie” Marley (51)
• Rohan Anthony Marley (51)
• Karen Marley (50)
• Stephanie Marley (48)
• Julian Marley (47)
• Ky-Mani Marley (47) 
• Damian Marley (44) 

While Marley died at 36 years old, many of his kids have continued to uphold his legacy by pursuing successful careers in music. They also recognize the influence their late father had on followers across the globe.

What Was The Age Of Bob Marley?

The legendary musician Bob Marley was born on February 6, 1945. Sadly, he died of cancer in 1981 when he was only 36 years old.  

What is Bob Marley’s Height and Weight? 

The iconic musician was 5 feet 7 inches tall (170 cm). He was reportedly only 82 pounds when he died due to melanoma. 

What Was Bob Marley’s Net Worth?

According to Celebrity Net Worth, Bob Marley’s net worth was $11.5 million at the time of his death. If we consider today’s inflation, that would come around $40 million. Bob’s heirs earned hundreds of millions of dollars in the ten years following his death from his image rights and songs. More than $500 million is reportedly made each year from his license payments, both authorized and unauthorized. 

In 1984, three years after he passed away, his last album—a compilation called “Legend”—was made available. That album, which has sold more copies than any other reggae record ever, is diamond-certified rather than Gold or Platinum. In just the last twenty years, Marley has sold over 75 million albums overall.

The estate gains from the only permissible (legal) trades. The family now makes $25 to $30 million a year in royalties from estates. If he were alive today, he would have a net worth of nearly $300 million. 

How is he still making money?

Well, that’s the interesting part. First off, more than 250,000 copies of Bob Marley’s “Legend” record have been sold annually since its 1984 debut. Most of his songs are now available for purchase on iTunes and other digital stores. And because of a clever yearly promotion called “Bob Marley Week,” which is started by his estate, plenty of his songs are purchased around his birthday on February 6. Unbelievably, millions of fans worldwide celebrate this special week honoring Bob Marley.

Who Inherits Bob Marley’s Fortune?

Bob decided not to make a will despite his huge wealth. According to Forbes, Bob’s Rastafarian faith prohibited him from acknowledging his mortality and, therefore, from writing a will, which is why he did not want to make one. This meant that his possessions would pass according to Jamaican intestate law upon his death.

Because of this, his estate was distributed in the absence of a will in accordance with Jamaican law. According to the laws and regulations, the widow of the deceased would receive 10% of the estate throughout her lifetime, and she would also get 45% of the estate. 

Each of the deceased children would receive an equal portion of the remaining 45%. However, not everyone accepted the laws in the absence of a will, and a court dispute arose regarding the estate. A ten-year legal struggle ensued from a contest in court over Bob Marley’s estate.

Ultimately, a Jamaican court ruled that Bob Marley’s record label, Island Music, should continue to be controlled by Chris Blackwell. Up until 2001, Rita Marley and his eleven acknowledged legitimate offspring held complete authority over the estate, which Blackwell had administered through Island Logic Ltd.

Bob Marley: Profile Summary

Interesting Facts About Bob Marley

• Bob Marley was a 36-year-old reggae musician who died of cancer.
• His hit, “Redemption Song,” followed after his tragic death.
• After his death, he was buried with a Bible, a soccer ball, a Gibson guitar, and a bud of marijuana. 
• His biggest hits album, “Legend,” remains the best-selling reggae album ever, and Marley still ranks among the best-selling musicians. 
• Bob’s life is dramatized in a new biographical musical film, “Bob Marley: One Love,” starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the artist. 
• In 1963, Marley and his friends Bunny Wailer and Peter Tosh established a ska band known as The Teenagers and then The Wailers. 
• He was the godfather of ganja and smoked weed regularly. 
• As a Rastafarian, he believed in the spiritual and medicinal properties of marijuana and considered it a religious ritual. 
• In June 1978, Marley was given the United Nations Peace Medal of the Third World at a ceremony in New York.
• Forbes ranked him Number 5 among the top-earning dead celebrities. 
• In 2014, one of Bob’s daughters, Cedella, donated to Jamaica’s women’s soccer team, the Reggae Girlz, through the Bob Marley Foundation. 

The Bottom Line

As we reflect on the legendary Bob Marley’s net worth, biography, age, and family, it is clear that his true wealth lies in the timeless legacy he left behind. His music, message, and influence continue to inspire and uplift people around the world. 

Even though Marley’s songs were among the most well-liked and highly appreciated in the popular canon, his death has made him far more famous than he was during his lifetime. 

FAQs 

1. Did Bob Marley have 11 children? 

Ans: Yes, Bob Marley has 11 children. He had three children with his wife, Rita Marley. He also has two adopted daughters and other kids with multiple mothers.

2. When did Bob Marley come out?

Ans: Bob came out with his first international hit, “No Woman, No Cry” in 1975. 

3. Who inherited Bob Marley’s wealth?

Ans: Following Bob’s death, his estate was subject to Jamaican intestate rules. These wills left his wife with 45% of his life estate and 10% of his assets. The remaining forty-five percent of the fortune was subsequently distributed equally among his 11 children.

4. How much is Marley’s family worth?

Ans: According to reports, Marley’s family is worth $500 million altogether. 

5. Who is the CEO of Bob Marley’s company? 

Ans: Cedella Marle, the daughter of Bob Marley and Rita, is the CEO of Bob Marley Group of Companies. 

6. Where is Bob Marley buried?

Ans: Bob Marley is buried in Bob Marley Mausoleum, located in Nine Miles. They buried his body, along with his guitar, in a marble mausoleum inside a chapel of traditional Ethiopian design.

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