The late Bob Marley, who would have turned 79 years old on February 6, 2024, was honored with a moving birthday tribute by Cindy Breakspeare, the 1976 Miss World winner and mother of Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley.
Along with pictures of herself, Damian, and Marley, Breakspeare, 69, revealed information about the locations where she and the legendary reggae artist had “countless” memories.
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“Bob, on what would have been your 79th Birthday, I celebrate the incredible impact you’ve had globally, cherish our amazing son Damian, and reminisce about the beautiful times we shared,” Breakspeare wrote. “From 56 Hope Road to your mother’s home in Delaware and Miami, New York, Oakley Street in London, The Bahamas, Trinidad, and beyond. The memories are countless, but our love for you is endless. Happy Birthday to the people’s hero loved and revered by all.”
Throughout his marriage to Rita Marley, Marley had affairs with other women, including Breakspeare. Their relationship, which lasted for six years until his passing in 1981, will be included in the soon-to-be film Bob Marley: One Love, Umi Myers, a British actress, will portray Breakspeare.
Fans of Marley, however, believed it was quite offensive, so they don’t see this as simply another benign birthday tribute. One tweeted, “56 Hope Road was the home of his wife. What a classless woman. Truly sick stomach.” Another person added, “It’s comforting to know that the way sidechicks act has been the same for generations. Like u being a bird has nothing to do with social media, the time u was born in, etc. It’s just who u r…. Ur exactly like the women before u. That’s kinda beautiful idk.”
Breakspeare was defended in other places as a writer who, “For those of you having all these NEGATIVITY towards this post, you do not know Bob Marley. To be so disrespectful to the youngest veteran’s mother is absurd. Know your history and please leave Miss World alone.”
In contrast, comedian Mel Mitchell commended Rita for having her affair.
“So I knew Bob Marley had 11 kids from 9 women. He had 8 babies on his wife. I was hoping they touched on it in the film cuz I had Google open the whole movie. What I DID NOT know was that his wife Rita had two outside babies on him as well. I know that’s mf right,” she tweeted.
Breakspeare and Marley’s connection has been discussed in the past. The reason their romance was “scary,” she said to Ron Fanfair in 2019, “‘uptown’ girls of light complexion didn’t have relationships with Rastas.”
But she was aware that the partnership would transform her life, “I knew I was crossing that invisible line in the sand […] Bob was a man on a mission who knew what he was about. He was very purpose-driven, inspirational, and influential all rolled into one. I knew that if I became involved with Bob, it would change my life forever.”
