Today marks the anniversary of the world's first global musical hero who died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 36 in Miami, Florida.
Marley was the product of Cedella Booker's brief early marriage to a 50-year-old white English Army captain who farmed land adjoining her father's and he spent his youth in the countryside and city, absorbing both cultures.
The music star embraced, popularised and helped develop a way of life that was uniquely Jamaican – from the music he played to the religion he practised, Rastafarianism.
In his 18-year career as a professional musician, Bob Marley took reggae out of the ghettoes of Kingston – where his mother took him to live – and into the mainstream. His music, with its message of hope and renewal, found a ready market.
"He's one of the few artists whose popularity has increased after his death," says Garth White, music history Professor at the University of the West Indies.
Marley's music continues to outsell any other Reggae artist in the world and his sales numbers continue to climb.
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