Booker, Cedella Marley 1926–2008
Booker, Cedella Marley 1926–2008
(Cedella Malcolm, Cedella Marley)
OBITUARY NOTICE—
See index for CA sketch: Born 1926, in Nine Miles, Jamaica; died April 8, 2008, in Miami, FL. Musician, biographer, and author. Booker is remembered as Cedella Marley, the mother and biographer of reggae superstar Bob Marley, but she was also a performer and recording artist in her own right. Her albums include Awake Zion (1991) and Smilin' Island of Song (1992). Booker was born and raised in Jamaica, where she survived hard times, married and outlived her first husband, and gave birth to one of Jamaica's most famous native sons. She later moved to the United States, remarried, and raised other children. When Bob Marley died of a brain tumor in 1962 at the age of thirty-six, the world mourned the loss of an international icon whose life and career had offered a captivating musical message of peace and hope. Booker dedicated the rest of her life to preserving his memory and perpetuating his message of love. She founded the annual Bob Marley Festival in Miami, Florida, and coauthored three books about her beloved son: 56 Thoughts from 56 Hope Road: The Sayings and Psalms of Bob Marley (2002), The Boy from Nine Miles: The Early Life of Bob Marley (2002), and Bob Marley, My Son (2003).
OBITUARIES AND OTHER SOURCES:
PERIODICALS
Chicago Tribune, April 10, 2008, sec. 3, p. 9.
Los Angeles Times, April 20, 2008, p. B11.