Did Bob Marley Have Lice?

When reggae musician Bob Marley died In 1981, 19 different species of lice were found in his dreadlocks.

In July 1977, Marley was diagnosed with a type of malignant melanoma under a toenail.

Contrary to urban legend, this lesion was not primarily caused by an injury during a football match that year but was instead a symptom of already-existing cancer. He had to see two doctors before a biopsy was made, which confirmed acral lentiginous melanoma.

Unlike other melanomas, usually on skin exposed to the sun, acral lentiginous melanoma occurs in places that are easy to miss, such as the soles of the feet, or under toenails.

Although it is the most common melanoma in people with dark skin, it is not widely recognized and was not mentioned in the most popular medical textbook of the time.

In 1966, Marley married Rita Anderson, and moved near his mother’s residence in Wilmington, Delaware, in the United States for a short time, during which he worked as a DuPont lab assistant, on the assembly line, and as a forklift operator at a Chrysler plant in nearby Newark, under the alias Donald Marley.

Though raised as a Catholic, Marley became interested in Rastafari beliefs in the 1960s, when away from his mother’s influence. After returning to Jamaica, Marley formally converted to Rastafari and began to grow dreadlocks.