February 10 Marks the 58th Wedding Anniversary of Bob Marley and Rita Marley – See Photos

On February 10, 1966, Reggae legend Bob Marley tied the knot with Alfarita “Rita” Constantia Anderson, with Saturday marking what would have been their 58th anniversary.

Bob, born Robert Nesta Marley, met Rita in the 1960s while he was a member of the Wailing Wailers. Rita, who had moved to Jamaica from Cuba as a child, was also an aspiring musician at the time and a member of The Soulettes.

According to Rita, Bob would send her love letters through his friends. After exchanging vows in their early twenties, the couple would later have three children together: Cedella Marley, David ‘Ziggy’ Marley, and Stephen Marley, with Bob adopting Rita’s daughters Sharon and Stephanie.

Bob would later become the lead singer of Bob Marley and the Wailers, and Rita became a member of the I Threes. The couple toured the world together, bringing Jamaican music to new heights and audiences.

After the couple was shot during an assassination attempt in 1976, they would both perform at Bob’s famous One Love Peace Concert in 1978. Though Bob and Rita engaged in other relationships during their marriage, the pair remained married until Bob died of cancer in 1981.

Following his death, Rita took control of his estate, securing his legacy with organisations such as the non-profit Bob Marley Foundation and turning his Kingston home into the Bob Marley Museum.