| The following night he went to play his next gig, but that gig was to signified Bob Marley's very last performance. As a last resort his family sent him to Germany to see a somewhat controversial cancer specialist. It was here that Bob struggled on for a further six months. In the end he weighed less than six stone and could hardly hold his guitar. At the age of 36, on the 11th of May 1981, Bob died of his illness. The King of Reggae was on his way to Jamaica, Bob Marley's body was flown to Jamaica. The Jamaican government declared a National Day of Mourning. More than 40,000 Jamaicans filed alongside the pathway to pay their last respects to Bob. Bob Marley awarded the Order of Merit by the Jamaican government, a banner proclaiming 'The Right Hon. Robert Nesta Marley OM' which was proudly demonstrated in the midst of Ethiopian flags and portraits of Bob Marley and Haile Selassie. After the funeral, his coffin was driven slowly back to the parish of St Ann, along roads lined on both sides with mourners all the way to the hill where he was born. Bob Marley in his time was an extraordinary character, a powerful figure, hailed by many as a prophet. Reggae 's most transcendent iconic figure, Bob Marley was the first Jamaican to achieve domestic superstardom, launching the music of his native island, reaching out to a large scale of worldwide audiences. Bob Marley's music gave voice to the everyday constrictions from the Jamaican political oppressors, incarcerated vividly, not only of his native grounding, but to the spirituality of devotees all over that has remained their source of commonality. |
