Who Is Bob Marley’s Wife? All About Rita Marley
By Website Content Manager
Bob Marley and Rita Marley married in 1966
Bob Marley‘s wife, Rita Marley, has worked hard to honor his legacy.
The pair met in Jamaica in the mid-1960s when they were both aspiring young musicians. They married in 1966, welcomed three children and toured the world together, with Rita serving as one of Bob’s backup singers.
Following Bob’s death in 1981 at age 36, Rita took over his empire, overseeing the management of his label Tuff Gong Studios and his estate. She received frequent criticism in the early days of her leadership and faced many legal challenges surrounding her control of Bob’s estate.
“[Rita] had to grow a very broad back to take on responsibilities she wasn’t prepared for. And that made a lot of people pissed when he passed, because they thought they were going to be the second in command,” the couple’s daughter Cedella said of her mother in a 2021 profile of Rita for Rolling Stone.
Despite the roadblocks, Rita preserved and, under her management, the Marley empire has expanded to include a variety of different business endeavors.
“I never see myself as Bob Marley’s widow,” Rita once said in 2000, per Rolling Stone. “I still feel I’m working with him. I feel I’m still his partner.”
Now 76, Rita has retired and passed the reins over to Cedella. She currently lives in Miami near her family, surrounded by grandchildren who call her Nana Rita.
Her latest project has involved joining Cedella and son Ziggy as producers on the new biopic about Marley’s life and career, Bob Marley: One Love, which is out on Feb. 14. In the movie, Kingsley Ben-Adir has taken on the role of Bob, while Lashana Lynch plays Rita.
So, who is Bob Marley’s wife? Here is everything to know about Rita Marley.