london, july 1977. a 32-year-old reggae singer was diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma in his right big toe. the surgery his doctors offered would have saved his life. he refused on religious grounds. three years and ten months later bob marley was dead at 36. february 6 1945. nine mile, saint ann parish, jamaica. norval marley was a 60-year-old white english quartermaster. cedella booker was an 18-year-old black jamaican. they had one son. norval saw him three times before he died. the child grew up poor enough to walk barefoot to school. he was a rastafarian by 17. the faith reads the body as sacred and unalterable. the same reading rules out removing flesh, even to stop cancer. when the london doctors told him in 1977 that the melanoma in his toe was metastasizing, he chose a nail bed graft and partial removal of the nail instead. the cancer kept spreading. 1980. madison square garden. the wailers played two sold-out nights on the uprising tour. the next morning he went jogging in central park with friends. he collapsed. the doctors at sloan kettering told him the cancer was now in his lungs, his liver, and his brain. he was 35 years old. he flew to bavaria. doctor josef issels offered alternative therapy in a clinic outside rosenheim. laetrile, ozone injections, vegetable juice. marley followed the protocol for seven months while his weight dropped from 175 to 90 pounds. his hair fell out. he kept making music. he recorded the demo of "redemption song" at this stage on a cassette in his hospital bed. may 1981. the issels treatment failed. he asked to be flown home to jamaica. he made it as far as miami. cedars of lebanon hospital, miami. may 11 1981. he turned to his son ziggy and said "money can't buy life." he died at 11:45 that morning. he was 36. his funeral in jamaica eight days later was a state event. prime minister edward seaga gave the eulogy. michael manley gave the second. half a million people lined the route from kingston to nine mile. he was buried with his guitar, a soccer ball, a bible, and a stalk of cannabis. he had 11 children with 7 women. four of them perform reggae today. ziggy alone has won 8 grammys. the family runs an estate worth an estimated 200 million dollars in licensing alone. in 1999 time magazine named exodus the greatest album of the 20th century. it was recorded in london two months after the diagnosis the doctors told him would kill him in 18 months. the toe was the start. religion was the choice. the world has been singing his songs every day since.