Meet Bob Marley's 12 children

Sharon (61) is Rita Marley’s first child of six, born to an unknown father prior to Bob and Rita’s marriage in 1966. Bob went on to formally adopt Sharon at this time.

Sharon made up one-fourth of the Grammy-winning vocal group Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers alongside her brothers, Ziggy and Stephen, and sister Cedella. Since the group disbanded in 2002, Sharon has continued to release solo music.

The singer has four children – Donisha, Ingermar, Matthew, and Peter-Shane – with her ex-husband, Jamaican football referee Peter Prendergast, and later married Ghanaian musician Ekow Alabi Savage in 2014. 

Born to Bob and Rita in 1967, Cedella (58) was a former member of the Melody Makers and has become instrumental in managing the family’s business ventures. 

She has been the CEO of Tuff Gong International, the record label Bob founded in 1965, since 2002, and also manages the lifestyle brand House of Marley. Cedella was also the designer behind Jamaica’s 2012 track and field Olympics uniform, worn by Usain Bolt, and previously designed a line of sportswear, inspired by her father’s love of football, to raise funds for the Jamaican women’s national football team.

She married her husband, David Minto, in 1993, and the pair have three sons, including Grammy-nominated singer Skip Marley.

The first-born son of Bob and his wife, David Nesta “Ziggy” Marley later became the lead vocalist of the Melody Makers, and his musical prowess has not stopped there. He later became a solo artist under his own label, Tuff Gong Worldwide – named after his father’s label – and has won five Grammys for his solo work.

The singer has three children – Bambaata, Justice, and Zuri – from previous relationships, and four with his wife Orly Agai: Judah, Gideon, Abraham, and Isaiah. 

As well as serving as a producer on Bob Marley: One Love (2024) alongside his mother and sister Cedella, Ziggy assisted on the production of the film’s soundtrack, which also won a Grammy in 2024.

Another Marley brother with a packed trophy cabinet, former Melody Makers member Stephen (53) has gone on to win three Grammys for his solo music, and two as a producer of his younger half-brother Damian’s work.

The musician reportedly has over ten children, including several with his wife, Kertia DeCosta; his son Jo, a musician, passed away in 2022, and his children Yohan and Mystic have also gone on to forge successful music careers.

Speaking about his family’s legacy to Forbes, Stephen shared: “You see it goes from generation to generation…people come and say, "Oh, I went to your dad's concert. Now I'm taking my son to your concert."

Rohan (53) is the only child of Bob and Janet Hunt, raised by his paternal grandmother Cedella Booker after his father’s death in 1981. He went on to play college football for the University of Miami, later setting his sights on the family’s businesses, even founding Marley Coffee in 2009. 

Rohan was in a relationship with musician Lauryn Hill from 1996 to 2009, and the pair share five kids: Zion, Selah, Joshua, John, and Sara. The former footballer also has two children, Eden and Nico, from his previous marriage to Geraldine Khawly. 

After a brief engagement to Brazilian model Isabeli Fontana, Rohan married Victoria’s Secret model Barbara Fialho in 2019; the pair divorced a year later following the birth of their daughter, Maria.

Bob’s only son with Pat Williams, Robert “Robbie” Marley (53) was born the same year as his half-brothers, Rohan and Stephen, and has embodied the Marley family creativity in a different way. Robbie is a graphic artist and poet, and has led a quieter life compared to many of his famous siblings.

In a rare interview with Collider in 2012, Robbie revealed that the song that most reminded him of his late father was “Redemption Song”, and described him as “quiet, patient, and strict”. 

The artist shares two children with his wife Ashley – daughter Jayde and son Zane.

Bob’s third daughter and only child with Janet Bowen, Karen (53) is a fashion designer who runs the label By Karen Marley. It seems her siblings are big supporters of her designs, with musician Ziggy spotted sporting a sweatshirt designed by his sister on stage.

“Sometimes when I speak about my dad it is a little touchy for me,” Karen told Rolling Stone in 2014. “I have to put my name out there because I opened a business…I'm not a musician. I like to be a little bit under the radar."

Stephanie (51) was born to Rita and Owen “Ital Tacky” Stewart, a Jamaican footballer, though she was adopted by Bob; Rita and Owen later shared another daughter, Serita Stewart, after the musician’s death. 

She previously studied psychology at Western University in Ontario, and later took on the role of managing director of the Bob Marley Foundation and Tuff Gong International, as well as her mother’s charity The Rita Marley Foundation. 

Describing her father as “soft and gentle” to Western News in 2024, Stephanie recalled growing up around her musical family. “I grew up watching my parents, my brothers and sisters singing in the studio, making music and understanding the power of music”.

Bob’s son Julian (50), his only child with Lucy Pounder, is the longtime frontman of the Grammy-winning band The Uprising. Also an instrumentalist, Julian has collaborated with Lauryn Hill and also worked on the 1999 album Chant Down Babylon, featuring artists covering his father’s songs.

Julian also co-founded the Ghetto Youths Foundation alongside his brothers, which helps communities in need. The musician has several children, including his late daughter Caveri and son Jacob.

“The message my father was always sending is for us to live up and to live right,” he told The Gleaner. “That is the biggest lesson I learnt from him and his music”.

Born to Bob and Jamaican table tennis athlete Anita Belnavis, Ky-Mani (49) is a former competitive American football player, later becoming a reggae musician like his father. His 2016 collaboration “Chillax” with Farruko has earned over 869 million streams on YouTube.

Ky-Mani Marley also had several high-profile acting roles, including the 2003 flick One Love alongside Idris Elba. The musician has several children, including Kingston and Kalani, who founded the charity Children For Change.

He told World Music Empire: “I am so grateful to come from such a great legacy and the magnitude still hasn’t really dawned on me because it continues to grow.”

Bob’s high-profile affair with Miss World beauty queen Cindy Breakspeare produced one child, son Damian (47), who was just two when his father passed away. Damian has since become a successful musician, earning four Grammys and producing hits like “Welcome to Jamrock”.

A father to several children, Damian is often seen with his son Elijah, who he shares with his wife Cristal Chaitram; a budding musician like his father, the pair have also performed together on stage.

The performer was featured in a 2013 tribute to Bob at the Grammy Awards, alongside his brother Ziggy and musicians like Bruno Mars and Rihanna.

Bob’s youngest child Makeda (44), who he shares with Yvette Crichton, was born around three weeks after the singer’s death. A motivational speaker, she’s also a graduate of West Chester University in Pennsylvania. 

Alongside public speaking, Makeda is a DJ and has even shared her own music on her Instagram page.