He was reggaes most famous son and the man credited with doing more to promote the culture of Rastafari than anyone else. Jamaica-born Bob Marley remains an iconic figure, and his record sales to date are believed to top £190 million. He died in May 1981 from cancer, age 36.
But despite his official cause of death being widely accepted as acral lentiginous melanoma, nearly three decades later, his granddaughter, Donisha Prendergast, a documentary film-maker, is controversially claiming that the real cause of Marleys death was deliberate poisoning.
The 25-year-old, who lives in Kingston, Jamaica, was in the United Kingdom filming a documentary on Rastafari. She told The Voice: Somebody killed him. Look at history, it shows us what they do to our leaders. He was a healthy man who exercised regularly. I would love to believe that he died of natural causes, but history wont allow me to. I believe he was poisoned.
Prendergast is the daughter of Sharon Marley Prendergast, who Bob adopted when he married her mother Rita. The young film-maker refuses to accept reports that her grandfathers death was a natural one, and makes the astonishing claim that he was poisoned by political interests who feared his outspokenness to educate the masses about the Babylon system.
Prendergast said: Every time I look at a Rasta man I cant help but remember my grandfather.