Famed “Mama Marley” said she was lifted by her son’s music, especially “No Woman No Cry.”

By Gayl Murphy

HOLLYWOOD, CA (Hollywood Today) 4/13/08 — Cedella Booker, the mother of legendary Jamaican singer, songwriter, guitarist and activist, Bob Marley died in her sleep at her home in Miami at age 82.

Strongly grounded in the Rastafarian culture, Booker was a mother of four, grandmother of 14, great-grandmother of 49 and a performer in her own right. She recorded the albums “Awake Zion” and “Smilin’ Island of Song.” She also authored two poignant novels “Bob Marley, My Son” and “Bob Marley: Intimate Portrait by his Mother” another about her son, dealing with the nature of mother-son relationships.

Known as “Mama Marley,” Island Records founder Chris Blackwell described her as “One of the most powerful women I have ever known, she served as the matriarch of the entire Marley family, ensuring that Bob’s rich legacy would survive to touch and motivate each generation. We will all miss her energy and drive.”

When once asked about the worldwide appeal of Marley’s music, and if she had a favorite song of his she pointed to “No Woman No Cry” because she said it gave her strength. “When I listen to that, it just lifts me up and makes me feel good inside. There is a power to that song. I love all of his songs, but that one is special to me.”

Booker was born in Jamaica, in the community of Rhoden Hall, but it was at age 18 in Nine Mile at St. Ann Parish that that she gave birth to Bob Marley, who would in his lifetime become so famous that his name would forever be synonymous with reggae around the world. Marley died at age 36, also in Miami, in1981.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.