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The charismatic, beloved Jamaican singer who introduced reggae infused with Rastafarian themes died from a cancerous brain tumor on May 11, 1981, in Miami, Florida. He was only 36 years old. Born on February 6, 1945, to an English father and a Jamaican mother, Robert Nesta Marley grew up in Trenchtown, an impoverished yet comfortable community near Kingston. Along with Peter Tosh, Bunny Livingston, and a few others, Marley went on to form the Wailers in 1964. By the '70s, the group was an international success. The first indication that something was amiss with Marley's health came in May of
1977. While on tour in France, Marley re-injured a right toe during a soccer game. The injury refused to heal and instead quickly worsened -- the entire nail came off and doctors recommended amputation. Citing religious beliefs, a limping Marley refused the surgery and gamely continued on tour. Later that summer, Marley finally allowed an orthopedic surgeon to perform a skin graft on the toe, and the procedure was deemed "a success." In September of 1980, a weakened Marley almost fainted onstage while performing in New York. The next day, he collapsed while jogging in Central Park. Marley was diagnosed with a brain tumor (a result of the untreated cancer in his toe) and given less than a month to live. Despite
the grim news, Marley played one final show in Pittsburgh before being flown to Miami. There doctors verified that the singer had cancer in the brain, lung, and stomach. Eight months later, Marley passed away. Marley's death was the cause for much rumor and speculation. Some credited his survival for so long despite the widespread cancer to his marijuana use, while others have attributed his death to nefarious causes.
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