Robert Nesta Marley, (February 6, 1945 – May 11, 1981) better known as Bob Marley, was a Jamaican singer, guitarist, songwriter, Rastafari and activist. He is the most widely known writer and performer of Reggae music, famous for popularizing the genre outside of Jamaica. Much of his music dealt with the struggles of the impoverished and gave a voice to the oppressed around the world while spreading messages of hope and unity. His songs expressed his experiences of struggles of everyday life in Jamaica in a way that all could relate to, making his music universally loved.

"I don't have prejudice against myself. My father was a white and my mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don't dip on nobody's side. Me don't dip on the black man's side nor the white man's side. Me dip on God's side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white."

In 1963, Bob Marley, Bunny Livingston, Peter McIntosh, Junior Braithwaite, Beverley Kelso and Cherry Smith formed a group, calling themselves "The Teenagers" which became "The Wailing Rudeboys", then "The Wailing Wailers" and was finally shortened to "The Wailers". Braithwaite, Kelso and Smith had left The Wailers by 1966, leaving the trio of Marley, Livingston, and McIntosh. Bob Marley soon took on the role of the leader, being the main songwriter and singer. Much of The Wailers early work, including their first single Simmer Down.

Bob Marley was a member of the Rastafari movement, which believes Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, the former Emperor of Ethiopia to be Jah (God) incarnate, the returned messiah. Rastafari culture was a key element in the development of reggae, and Marley's adoption of the characteristic Rastafarian dreadlocks and use of marijuana as a sacred sacrament in the early seventies were an integral part of his persona as a famous musician. He would enter every show proclaiming the divinity of Jah Rastafari.

Bob Marley had 12 children: four with his wife Rita, two adopted from Rita's previous relationships and the remaining seven with separate women. His children are, in order of birth:[3][4] Sharon, born 23 November 1964, to Rita by another man before she married Bob, and adopted by Bob. Cedella, born 23 August 1967, to Rita. David "Ziggy", born 17 October 1968 to Rita. Stephen, born 20 April 1972, to Rita. Robert "Robbie", born 16 May 1972, to Pat Williams. Rohan, born 19 May 1972, to Janet Hunt. Married Lauryn Hill. Karen, born 1973, to Janet Bowen. Stephanie, born 1974?, to Rita by another man, and adopted by Bob. Julian, born 4 June 1975, to Lucy Pounder. Also often referred to as Julian "Capps" Marley. Ky-Mani, born 26 February 1976, to Anita Belnavis. Damian "Jr. Gong", born 21 July 1978, to Cindy Breakspeare. Makeda, born 30 May 1981, to Yvette Crichton.

In July 1977, Marley was found to have a wound on his right big toe, which he thought was from a football (soccer) injury. Urban legends have since told that it was the British television personality Danny Baker who had caused the injury during a celebrity football match. The wound would not completely heal, and his toenail later fell off during a football game. It was then that the correct diagnosis was made. Marley actually had a form of skin cancer, malignant melanoma, which grew under his toenail. Marley was advised to get his toe amputated, but he refused because of his Rastafarian beliefs that the body must be whole, that to have an amputation would be a sin, that his faith would ensure him living forever regardless of the cancer and because he saw medical doctors as samfai, confidence men who cheat the gullible by pretending to have the power of witchcraft. He also was concerned about the impact the operation would have on his dancing. Still, Marley based this refusal primarily on his Rastafarian beliefs, saying, "Rasta no abide amputation. I don't allow a mon ta be dismantled." He did agree to undergo some minor surgery to try to excise the cancer, which was kept secret from the wider public.

Marley wanted to spend his final days in Jamaica but he became too ill on the flight home from Germany and the plane was forced to land in Miami so that he could receive immediate medical attention. He died at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami, Florida on May 11, 1981. His final words to his son Ziggy were, "Money can't buy life." Bob Marley received the honor of a State funeral in Jamaica. It was a dignified funeral with combined elements of Ethiopian Orthodoxy and Rastafari. He is buried in a crypt at Nine Miles, near his birthplace, with his Gibson Les Paul, a soccer ball, a bud of marijuana and a Bible. A month before his death, he was awarded the Jamaican Order of Merit.