Reggae · May 11, 2018
The final days of Bob Marley!
Bob Marley, the greatest icon of reggae, left us in 1981, and until his last day on this plane he managed to transform the lives of many peo
Bob Marley, the greatest icon of reggae, left us in 1981, and until his last day on this plane he managed to transform the lives of many people around him. One of these people was reggae singer Zema, who was in the same hospital where Bob Marley was hospitalized, accompanying the treatment of her own mother, also with cancer. Read her moving account. Blessings!
As Jah determined, in November 1980 my mother was receiving cancer treatment at the Issels Clinic, in the mountain retreat of Rotach-Egern, in Germany, when Bob arrived there. She knew I liked Bob's music and sent me an article about him from a German newspaper, which basically said he was a "Third World rock superstar", that in June he had sung for tens of thousands of people in Germany, playing his guitar and singing songs of freedom for people of color.
The article said he was critically ill, with lung cancer spreading through his body and being treated by Dr. Issels, after American specialists had given up on him. In February of '81, I went to visit my mother for ten days and followed Issels' "anti-cancer" program.
As with many types of alternative medicine, Issels' program was no joke. Most people who went to his clinic had undergone chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other treatments that had failed. Unfortunately, Bob was very ill and only spoke when spoken to.
(Zema, at the beginning of her career)
The first time I saw him was when he came from the clinic to the waiting room. He had just cut off his dreadlocks, which was part of the program. He was tired, and because of that he kept leaning against the wall. He was wearing a crochet roots-style cap that covered his bald head. He did not stay there long and was soon called to see the doctor. The clinic was always full.
It was hard to get an appointment for the violet ray treatments, where the light was focused on the body for 45 minutes. One night, when there were few people at the clinic, Bob's Jamaican doctor made an arrangement with the administrator so that the star could undergo this treatment together with two other patients. On the third floor, there were three beds in the room where the treatment was performed, with partitions that only went a little above the floor, so you were close to people's heads.
I was near Bob, so I asked him how he was coping with the treatment, since Dr. Issels had forbidden him to smoke ganja. I don't remember his exact words, but he began to talk about Jamaica. It was almost as if he were in a trance. He spoke slowly and thoughtfully and described the beauty of Jamaica - the white sand beaches, the hot sun... He spoke with so much feeling and love for Jamaica that it made me feel as if I were there, even knowing it was snowing heavily outside.
It was Bob's birthday that week (February 6) and he invited some people from the clinic to a birthday party at his apartment. Before many people arrived, he came to the waiting room and we talked a little.
My mother had told him that I played, and when she arrived, Bob asked his mother, Mrs. Booker, to bring two guitars. She hurried and brought them right away. He started playing one guitar and I the other. Bob didn't play for long or very loud, maybe for half an hour, just jamming. Everyone was really happy to see him playing and I got the impression that he hadn't been doing that lately. Rita, Tyrone Downie were also there, as well as the crew that was always present.
They brought a cake with the words "Happy Birthday King of Reggae", but I remember that "reggae" was misspelled. Unfortunately most of the party time he spent lying in the room next door. It didn't take long for Jah to take Bob home. He had a strong presence, even when illness had reduced him to a fraction of what he was. He seemed so vulnerable and out of his element, but now I know he is in a better place."
Zema - Los Angeles, February 1998
Click here and read the interview with Mrs. Issels, widow of Dr. Issels, who cared for Bob Marley in his fight against cancer.
Click here and watch some scenes from Bob Marley's funeral, the Third World star.
ZEMA AND MARLEY'S LAST DAYS
As Jah determined, in November 1980 my mother was receiving cancer treatment at the Issels Clinic, in the mountain retreat of Rotach-Egern, in Germany, when Bob arrived there. She knew I liked Bob's music and sent me an article about him from a German newspaper, which basically said he was a "Third World rock superstar", that in June he had sung for tens of thousands of people in Germany, playing his guitar and singing songs of freedom for people of color.
The article said he was critically ill, with lung cancer spreading through his body and being treated by Dr. Issels, after American specialists had given up on him. In February of '81, I went to visit my mother for ten days and followed Issels' "anti-cancer" program.
As with many types of alternative medicine, Issels' program was no joke. Most people who went to his clinic had undergone chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other treatments that had failed. Unfortunately, Bob was very ill and only spoke when spoken to.
(Zema, at the beginning of her career)
Zema - Los Angeles, February 1998
Mrs. ISSELS
Click here and read the interview with Mrs. Issels, widow of Dr. Issels, who cared for Bob Marley in his fight against cancer.
MULTIMEDIA
Click here and watch some scenes from Bob Marley's funeral, the Third World star.Category
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