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Factsheet

• Raised in the Kingston, Jamaica, ghetto known as Trench Town by her aunt after her parents separated when she was 5.
• Won the "Lannaman's Children's Hour" talent show as a child with her rendition of Mario Lanza's "The Lord's Prayer."
• Wanted to become a nurse, but had to drop out of nursing school due to an unplanned pregnancy.
• Became friendly with Bob Marley after her group, the Soulettes, was signed to the same label as the Wailers, Studio One. The friendship eventually bloomed into love and they married in 1966.
• Dealt with his infidelity for much of their 15-year marriage; and, in fact, helped raise many of the children born from those dalliances.
• Joined the I-Threes, which also featured Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths, in 1974. They provided backup vocals for the Wailers after Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer left the band.
• Survived a 1976 assassination attempt on her husband by gunmen hoping to disrupt a unity concert in Jamaica at a time when political tensions were heated there. They were both wounded, but still went on with the show.
• Started the Bob Marley Foundation, which helps people and organizations in developing countries, after her husband's 1981 death from cancer.