When he passed away in 1981, music legend Bob Marley left a large family behind. The artist had eleven children with seven different women. And if you are wondering what they look like today, then keep reading!
Reggae icon Bob Marley was born in Jamaica in 1945 and grew up in the Trenchtown neighborhood on the outskirts of Kingston. With songs like “No Woman No Cry,” “Three Little Birds,” and “Buffalo Soldier,” Marley is considered one of the greatest in the music world.
At the end of the 70s, the artist was diagnosed with malignant melanoma in his foot but refused to amputate it as it went against the Rastafarian belief that the body should be whole.
In 1981, the artist passed away as a result of his diagnosis.
But during his lifetime, the artist accomplished much – both on stage and at home.
Bob Marley met his love Rita Marley, and the couple married in 1966. Even though they stayed together for 15 years, the marriage was marked by infidelity as they had only three of his eleven children while they were together.
They remained married until Bob Marley’s death in 1981.
When Bob and Rita met, she was a new mother with a daughter who was only five months old. Bob chose to adopt the child, who took the Marley surname.
Sharon Marley, 59
Rita’s eldest daughter Sharon Marley was born on November 23, 1964, and was interested in music from an early age, just like her parents.
At the age of 12, she joined several of her siblings in the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. The band toured worldwide, released ten albums, and won three Grammys while active.
Today, Sharon is a mother of four and has found a new passion in education. She started the “Total Care Learning Centre” and advocates for Montessori-style teaching.
Her children are named Donisha, Inglemar, Matthew, and Peter Shane.
Cedella Marley, 56
Cedella Marley, born on August 23, 1967, in Kingston, Jamaica, is Bob and Rita’s first child together.
Like her older sister, she was a member of the band “Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers.”
Besides a music career, Cedella also dreamed of becoming an actress. Her dream came true at 22 when she got a role in the film “The Mighty Quinn,” where she worked alongside Denzel Washington. When the band broke up in 2002, Cedella became the CEO of Bob Marley’s record label “Tuff Gong International” and shifted her focus to fashion design. Cedella has been successful with her collections and designed Jamaica’s Olympic outfits in 2012 in collaboration with Puma.
Marley’s daughter has also been involved in football, saving Jamaica’s women’s national team from financial collapse twice, allowing them to become the first Caribbean women’s team to play in a World Cup.
Additionally, Cedella is an author and created the musical “Three Little Birds” about her father, which has been performed on stages in New York.
Cedella married David Minto in 1993, and they have two children together – Skip and Soul-Rebel.
David Nesta “Ziggy” Marley, 55
Bob Marley and Rita’s eldest son David Nesta Marley, known as “Ziggy,” was born on October 17, 1968, and was the star of the same band as his two older sisters.
When the group split in 2002, Ziggy continued making music on his own. In 2006, he released his second solo album, which won a Grammy.
He has collaborated with artists like Paul Simon, Jack Johnson, and Willie Nelson, has been nominated for 15 Grammys, and won 8. Today, Ziggy lives in Los Angeles and, like his father, has many children. With his wife Orly Agai, he has a daughter, Judah Victoria, and three sons, Gideon, Abraham Selassie, and Isaiah Sion.
He also has three children from previous relationships: Bambaata, Justice, and Zuri.
Stephen Marley, 52
Stephen Marley, born in Wilmington, Delaware, on April 20, 1972, is Bob and Rita’s third and last child together. He was the fourth member of the band “Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers.”
Stephen’s greatest successes have come as a music producer.
In December 2022, Stephen lost his eldest son, artist Jo Mersa Marley, who died from asthma complications.
Stephen has 11 children – daughters Lailah Marley, Mystic Marley, Nyah Marley, Shasa Marley, Summer Marley, and Zipporah Marley, and sons Bengimen Marley, Binghi Marley, Jeremiah Marley, Joseph Marley, and Stephen Marley Jr.
Robert Marley, 52
Robert Marley, born on May 16, 1972, is Bob’s first son outside of his marriage to Rita. Marley had a son with a woman named Pat Williams.
Robert has managed to keep a relatively low profile but has spoken about his relationship with his father and the advantages it has given him in life.
Robert is a graphic designer, writes poetry, and is passionate about motorcycles. He is married to Ash Marley, and they have two daughters.
Rohan Marley, 52
Rohan Marley was born just three days after Robert in 1972 and is, like his brother, one of the children from Bob Marley’s many affairs, as the music icon had a son with Janet Hunt.
He is a jack-of-all-trades who started his career as a professional American football player in Canada with the Ottawa Rough Riders. Rohan then founded an organic coffee plantation, Marley Coffee, and launched the company House of Marley, which manufactures headphones.
Having many children is certainly a theme in the Marley family. Rohan has eight.
He had the oldest two children during his marriage to Geraldine Khawly—the son, Nicholas “Nico” Marley, who played American football in the NFL, and the daughter, Eden.
Between 1996 and 2009, Rohan was in a relationship with singer Lauryn Hill, and they had five children together: Zion David, Selah Louise, Joshua Omaru, John Nesta, and Sara. In 2019, he married model Barbara Fialho, and they had a daughter together.
Karen Marley, 51
Karen Marley was born in London in 1973 and is the daughter of Bob Marley and Janet Brown.
The daughter is a fashion designer and has tried to stay out of the spotlight. “Sometimes when I talk about my dad, it’s a bit sensitive for me. I just wanted to live without anyone saying ‘Oh, there’s Karen Marley.’ I had to print my name because I opened a business, but I’m not a musician, I like to stay a bit under the radar,” the daughter told Rolling Stone.
She launched the clothing brand “By Karen Marley” in 2022.
Stephanie Marley, 49
It wasn’t just Bob who had affairs in the marriage. Rita had the daughter Stephanie Marley with a man named Ital in August 1974. Bob adopted the daughter, who took his last name, Marley.
Stephanie has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and started “Marley Resort & Spa” in Nassau, Bahamas, with the help of her sister Cedella.
Stephanie also founded the modeling agency “B’uniqk” in Jamaica.
She is also the head of the “Rita Marley Foundation.” Stephanie Marley has four sons.
Julian Ricardo Marley, 48
Julian Ricardo Marley was born in London on June 4, 1975, and is the son of Bob Marley and Lucy Pounder.
He plays several instruments and recently achieved his first major success, winning a Grammy in 2024 in the category of “Best Reggae Album.”
Julian’s daughter, Caveri Marley, lost her battle with cancer in 2019.
Ky-Mani Marley, 48
Ky-Mani Marley was born in Jamaica in 1976 and is the son of Bob Marley and table tennis champion Anita Belnavis.
He grew up in Miami and was initially more interested in sports than music. But when he was contacted by a producer who had worked with Bob, Ky-Mani began creating music. Ky-Mani has been nominated for a “Grammy” for his album “Many More Roads.”
He has also acted occasionally, including in the 2016 film King of the Dancehall, where he starred alongside Nick Cannon.
Damian Robert Nesta Marley, 45
Damian Marley is Bob’s youngest son. He was born in July 1978 to Bob and jazz singer Cindy Breakspeare and was only three years old when his father passed away. At 13, he started playing in the band “The Shepherds” and has since had a successful career as a reggae artist.
He has collaborated with artists such as Mariah Carey, Jay-Z, Bruno Mars, and Gwen Stefani, and has won four Grammys.
Damian has a son named Christian Marley.