Bob Marley's values and beliefs were such that Jamaica's most famous son refused the toe-amputation that might well have saved his life following diagnosis with cancer in 1977 - instead, strict Rastafarian Bob Marley faced up to the inevitable with few complaints or regrets. When his time came, the reggae great summed up his philosophies in a heartfelt bedside message to his musician son Ziggy: "Money can't buy life."
While Marley was flying home from Germany to Jamaica, when his vital functions took a bad turn. After landing in Miami, Florida, he was taken to the hospital for immediate medical attention. Bob Marley died on 11 May 1981 at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami (now University of Miami Hospital) at the age of 36. The spread of melanoma to his lungs and brain caused his death.