Carley’s Corner - The Bob Marley Estate
Bob Marley is known as one of the best reggae singer/songwriters of all time! Writing songs such as “Buffalo Solider,” and “Could You Be Loved,” Bob Marley was and still is a household name in the music industry. His music promoted freedom, social equality, and justice. Marley was also recognized with numerous humanitarian awards before his death in 1981. He received an Order of Merit from Jamaica and The Peace Medal from the United Nations to name a few and was later inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Bob Marley married a local Sunday school teacher named Rita Anderson when he was 21 and the two stayed married until his death. Marley had 4 children with Rita, and acknowledged fatherhood of 13 children total, however there are rumors that more children exist. In July of 1977 Bob was diagnosed with a type of malignant melanoma, which eventually spread throughout his body. He died on May 11th 1981 at the age of 36 in Miami Florida. His final words to his son Ziggy were, “Money can’t buy life.”
Bob Marley was said to be worth an estimated $30 million when he died. The problem was that he never had a Will, even though he was fully aware that he was dying of cancer for more than a year. Marley’s Rastafarian faith prohibited him from recognizing his mortality and creating a Will. Having no Will meant that his assets would pass under Jamaican Intestate Laws when he passed away. Under these Laws, his wife Rita Marley was only to receive 10% of his assets, and an additional 45% throughout her lifetime. The balance would pass onto his numerous children, some of whom were born to Rita, but others were not.
The situation became much more complicated when Marley’s two closest advisors – his attorney and his accountant – decided to create an estate plan AFTER Marley had died. Let it be known that there is no legal way to accomplish this… The duo convinced Rita to forge his name on a series of documents and date them prior to his death. The plan was to transfer the control of the majority of Bob’s corporate holdings, as well as most of his royalty rights and money to solely Rita. The plan was going swimmingly until one of Bob Marley’s former managers caught onto the scheme which then led to years of long, costly legal battles.
The attorney and accountant were eventually found guilty of a RICO conspiracy which means an illegal and criminal organization, fraud, and other charges which resulted in a charge of about $6 million! Rita Marley confessed to her involvement and was removed from control of the estate. While she lost sole control, the Jamaican Supreme Court determined that the rights to use Bob Marley’s name, likeness and image for commercial purposes would pass onto his heirs. Rita and all of Marley’s children did end up with the rights to profit from in the end, however there were millions of dollars lost from the years spent in court and the legal fees. Since then, there have been dozens of other lawsuits to the estate of Bob Marley. Additional children have come forward claiming paternity, and there have been even more lawsuits involving the use of the Bob Marley image, name, and lyrics.
Is this the legacy that he would have wanted to leave behind? Considering the life he led, many believe that he would have wanted his estate to benefit as many people as possible. He believed the Rastafarian notions which promoted equality and rejection to the modern western world. His last words after all were, “Money can’t buy life.” If Marley had a valid Will he could have directed who would manage his estate and legacy and could have avoided the fraud and decades of costly court proceedings.
The lesson from Bob Marley’s estate is a simple, yet effective one. Have a say in your legacy and ensure that you have a Will. A study done by the Angus Reid Institute in 2018 found that 51% of Canadians had no Will, while 35% of Canadians had one that wasn’t up to date. Too many families suffer from poor estate planning, don’t let this happen to you!
If you need assistance with Estate Administration or are struggling with an Intestate Estate, contact us today to schedule a free consultation with one of our estate administrators!
This blog is not intended to be legal advice and should not be relied on as such. If you require legal advice, please contact a legal professional concerning your particular circumstances.