Bob Marley Dies Of Melanoma Cancer In History Today, May 11, 1974

Bob Marley (Sumber: Commons Wikimedia)

JAKARTA - No one expected a performance at The Stanley Theatre in Pittsburgh in September 1980 to be Bob Marley's last public concert. The reggae icon was already in a state of ill health at the time.

The concert at The Stanley Theatre was part of the Uprising Tour to promote the album of the same name. At the place that is currently renamed The Benedum Center for Performing Arts, Marley performed with his band, The Wailers.

Despite his poor health, Marley still performs with his band. Two days before the concert, Marley collapsed in Central Park, New York while dancing.

It was likely due to complications arising from malignant melanoma cancer diagnosed against Marley in 1977. The cancer spread to Marley's brain, liver, and lungs.

Less than eight months later, on May 11, 1981, Bob Marley, the soul and international face of reggae music, died in a Miami, Florida hospital. At the time, he was only 36 years old.

Quoting the Biography, shortly before death, Marley received an Order of Merit from the Jamaican government. He was also awarded the Medal of Peace by the United Nations in 1980.

Bob Marley (Source: Commons Wikimedia)

Revered by jamaicans, Marley was given a hero's release. The announcement of the state's national budget was delayed by several days to accommodate Marley's state funeral.

Invitation sent. The monument was soon built. And security should be arranged at the National Arena in Kingston, Jamaica as it is the main area of the funeral.

Jamaican Prime Minister Edward Seaga prepares his speech. More than 30,000 people paid tribute to the musician during his funeral, held at the National Arena.

The rastafara, with its spirituality calls Marley's death meaning nothing because he went nowhere. For rastafarians, Marley is still among them forever.

About Bob Marley

Bob Marley was born Nesta Robert Marley on February 6, 1945 in St. Ann Parish, Jamaica. Marley is the son of a middle-aged white Jamaican Navy officer and a black Jamaican woman.

The mother gave birth to Marley at the age of 18. At the age of nine, Marley moved to Trench Town, West Kingston where she would meet and befriend Neville "Bunny" Livingston and Peter McIntosh--later Peter Tosh.

Marley dropped out of school at the age of 14, deciding to make music. Jamaica at the time was entering a time of extraordinary musical creativity.

When transistor radio was available on an island then served only by a BBC-style national radio station, American music was suddenly accessible via radio stations. From a mix of New Orleans-style rhythms and blues and natives, the African-influenced musical tradition emerged first was ska, then rock steady or reggae predecessor, which was not recognized until the late 1960s.

Bob Marley (Source: Commons Wikimedia)

Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer performed together as The Wailers during this period, becoming the dominant reggae group in Jamaica. Thanks to Island Records' international reach, The Wailers came to the world's attention in the early 1970s with catch a fire (1972) and Burnin' (1973).

Eric Clapton spread the group's name even more widely by recording a pop version of I Shot The Sheriff from his last album. With Tosh and Wailer out in 1974, Marley became the center of attention.

In the late '70s, Marley produced a series of albums, "Exodus" (1977) featuring Jamming and Waiting In Vain. While none of the songs mentioned above came close to hits in the US during Bob Marley's lifetime, they are a legacy that has increased his fame over the years since his death.

Marley's commitment to fighting oppression also continues through the organization his family founded, The Bob Marley Foundation. The foundation devotes itself to helping people and organizations in developing countries.

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