Bob Marley (9)

Bob Marley
1945-1981
The first Third World superstar
Cause of Death: Brain, lung and liver cancer
Print the Legend: Reggae’s heavyweight champion had to wait for death to make him a U.S. superstar. The week he was diagnosed with cancer, he played Madison Square Garden—opening for the Commodores. But the posthumous collection Legend has sold more than 17 million copies worldwide; his estate, controlled by his widow, Rita, and his 11 children, earns some $6 million a year; and his catalogue has been assessed at a value of $100 million.
No Woman, No Cry: Shortly after Marley’s death, widow Rita unknowingly signed away numerous rights to his $30 million estate and had to spend millions in lawsuits to establish herself and Marley’s children as sole controllers of his name and likeness. But Rita now controls a record company, museum, guided tours, a music festival and several foundations.
Life After Death: Universal, which owns Marley’s work on Island, has recently purchased his earlier Jamaican catalogue, and a new edition of the definitive biography, Catch a Fire, is about to be published. Yet beyond the faithful, the forecast is cloudy: recent projects intended to introduce Marley to new listeners have been duds.