Community News
Bob Marley’s children (Dem ah guh tired to see we face)
BY MICHAEL THOMAS
How many children did the late reggae superstar, The Right Honourable Robert Nester Marley father? Is it five, six, seven? No! Try 11.
Marley married Alpharita Constantia “Rita” Anderson in Kingston, Jamaica, on February 10th, 1966. They had four children: two that he adopted from Rita’s previous relationships, but Marley never stopped there. He went on to father many more little Marleys, with nine baby mammas.
Here is a list of the children that the reggae king fathered and their mothers
- Sharon, born November 23rd, 1964 daughter of Rita from a previous relationship, but then adopted by Marley after his marriage with Rita
- Cedella born August 23rd, 1967 to Rita
- David “Ziggy”, born October 17th, 1968 to Rita
- Stephen, born April 20th, 1972 to Rita
- Robert “Robbie”, born May 16th, 1972 to Pat Williams
- Rohan, born May 19th, 1972 to Janet Hunt
- Karen, born 1973 to Janet Bowen
- Stephanie, born August 17th,1974; according to Cedella Booker she was the daughter of Rita and a man called Ital with whom Rita had an affair, nonetheless, she was acknowledged as Bob’s daughter
- Julian, born June 4th, 1975 to Lucy Pounder
- Ky-Mani, born February 26th, 1976 to Anita Belnavis
- Damian, born July 21st, 1978 to Cindy Breakspeare
It is important to note that not all of Marley’s children took up his musical staff, but those that did are certainly in the spotlight. Daughter Sharon is a Jamaican singer/dancer, Cedella is a singer/dancer/fashion designer and actress, and Ziggy is a musician/philanthropist. Stephen is a musician and eight-time Grammy award winner; Julian is a musician Grammy nominee, singer/songwriter/producer. Ky-Mani is a Jamaican reggae and hip-hop artist, and Damian Robert Nesta “Jr. Gong” is a Jamaican deejay/rapper/singer/songwriter/record producer.
The Marley children have certainly done well for themselves individually, and financially as well, Marley was worth an estimated 30 million at the time of his death in 1981. Even though the Rastafarian was never financially naive about his finances, he never made a will and this left some legal grey areas and issues concerning who got what from his estate.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Damian Marley’s net worth is $20 Million, Stephen Marley’s net worth is $20 Million, Ziggy Marley’s net worth is $10 Million, Ky-Mani Marley’s net worth is $5 Million, and Rohan Marley is a football player, whose net worth is $20 Million. If Bob were alive, he would personally be worth well over $200 million.
Money aside, Marley left a rich musical legacy that is almost impossible to equal no matter how hard one may try. It is safe to say that from Ziggy to Damian Robert Nesta “Jr. Gong” the children have had their share of musical hits, won Grammy’s, and done touring stints. However, even though Bob Marley’s music was never recognized with a Grammy nomination in his lifetime, no one commands the audience, the stage, nor possesses the raw simplicity of Bob.
In the children, and his enormous catalog of songs and interviews Marley left the world with a lasting memory for many generations to come. His song (One Love) has been given the coveted title of Song Of The Century.
If one were to take an intimate listen to the song Marley called Bad Card, with 11 children to contend with, it is no wonder he started the song saying (Dem ah Guh Tired to See We Face).
References