The Marley Family

 

Wife-Rita Marley (married February 10, 1966)

Best known for carrying on her late husband's musical legacy and developing her own career as a solo artist. Rita Marley has six children, three from her marriage with Bob. After Bob's death in 1981 Marley established a charitable organization, the Bob Marley Foundation, to fight poverty and hunger in developing countries.

Imani Carole Marley (born May 22, 1963)

Imani is Bob's first born child

 

Sharon Marley (born November 23, 1963)-adopted

Although Bob Marley was not her biological father, he adopted Sharon, wife Rita's daughter from a previous relationship, and raised her as his own. Along with three of her siblings, Sharon was a part of the group Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. Also an actress, the oldest Marley had a small role in the 1989 Denzel Washington film The Mighty Quinn, set in Jamaica.

 

Cedella marley (born August 23, 1967)

Named after Bob's mother, Cedella Booker, Cedella is Bob and Rita's oldest child together. She rose to fame as part of the group Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, and continues her father's legacy as CEO of Tuff Gong International. In addition to her musical pursuits, the wife and mother of three is an actress, a children's-book author and a clothing designer. Her Catch a Fire clothing line will be outfitting the Jamaican track-and-field team for the 2012 Olympics.

 

Ziggy Marley (born October 17, 1968)

David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley is Bob's oldest son and the front man of Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. Their debut album, Play the Game Right, was released in 1985, but the group didn't achieve widespread success until their third release, 1988's Conscious Party. A five-time Grammy winner, Ziggy went solo in 2003 with Dragonfly, and he will release his fourth solo album, Wild and Free, this June. The married father of six is also an actor, activist, humanitarian and pro-marijuana advocate, recently releasing the graphic novel Ziggy Marley's Marijuanaman.

 

Stephen Marley (born April 20, 1972)

Stephen is Bob and Rita Marley's last child and the fourth member of the band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. A singer, songwriter and producer, Stephen released his solo debut, Mind Control, in 2007, which received a Grammy Award for best reggae album the following year. He was also the main producer on his brother Damian Marley's first three successful albums and brought the Bob Marley mashup album Chant Down Babylon to life in 1999 as executive producer.

Robert Marley (born May 16, 1972)

Robbie was born less than a month after Stephen and was Bob's first of many children not fathered by Rita. Not much is known about his mother Pat "Lucille" Williams as Robbie was brought to live with Bob and Rita. He is not a musician and has mostly stayed out of the spotlight as a motorcycle stunt rider.

 

Rohan Marley (born May 19, 1972)

Rohan, whose mother was Bob's girlfriend Janet Hunt, first came to the attention of many as a linebacker on the University of Miami Hurricanes football team in the early '90s. He married his college sweetheart while still at the school, and they had two children together. In 1996 Rohan met singer-rapper-songwriter-musician Lauryn Hill, and they began a love affair, and since then five children have been born from their "spiritual union.” Rohan, who briefly played pro football in Canada, went on to found the Marley Coffee Co. and Tuff Gong Clothing.

 

Karen Marley (born in 1973)

Karen, is the third biological daughter of Marley, she was born in England in 1973 to her mother Janet Bowen aka “Janet From England”. Karen grew up in Jamaica with the Marley’s and attended school with Stephanie.

 

Stephanie Marley (born in 1974)-adopted

Stephanie was born out of wedlock after Rita had an affair with a man named Ital. Bob adopted Stephanie as and accepted her as his own and she is officially recognized as one of his children.

 

Julian Marley (born June 4, 1975)

Born in London and raised by his mother, Lucy Pounder, Julian also inherited his father's musical genes. He is a singer, songwriter, producer and self-taught musician with three albums to his credit, most recently 2009's Grammy-nominated album Awake. Julian also does a lot of work with the Ghetto Youths Foundation and co-produced the Miami for Haiti benefit alongside younger brother Ky-Mani in 2010 to aid the earthquake-ravaged country

 

Ky-mani Marley (born February 26, 1976)

Ky-Mani was born in Jamaica to Bob's then-girlfriend Anita Belnavis, a Caribbean table tennis champion, and raised in inner-city Miami. Ky-Mani was initially more interested in sports than in making music, but that all changed when he discovered a knack for rapping and singing and released his debut album, Like Father Like Son, in 1996. He has released five albums in total, with a sixth on the way; acted in feature films (Shottas, One Love); and starred in the BET J reality series Living the Life of Marley.

Damian Marley (born July 21, 1978)

The child of Bob's relationship with 1976 Miss World Cindy Breakspeare, Damian is nicknamed "Jr. Gong" after his father. Damian is a dancehall reggae artist and Grammy Award winner. He released his first album, Mr. Marley, in 1996 at 18 years of age and released two subsequent solo albums, Halfway Tree and Welcome to Jamrock. In 2010 he teamed up with rapper Nas on the collaborative album Distant Relatives, which bridged the gap between dancehall and hip-hop.

Makeda Marley (born May 30, 1981)

Makeda Jahnesta Marley was born to Yvette Crichton in 1981 in Miami mere weeks after Bob's death. She is the singer's youngest child, but she did not grow up with or around any of her half siblings. She attended high school and college in Pennsylvania and currently resides in the Philadelphia area. Makeda pleaded guilty to drug-possession charges (marijuana, of course) in 2010 after being arrested in 2008 and is now on probation for seven years.