My sister once said the Marley's are kind of the "Kennedy's of Jamaica. Cedella Marley Booker or "Mother B" as she was known to his fans, presided as matriarch over the legendary Marley family and was a force in her own right. Take your rest Mother, and as Bob would say, "Jah bless."

Bob Marley's mother dead at 81 - 04/09/2008 - MiamiHerald.com: "Bob Marley's mother dead at 81
Posted on Wed, Apr. 09, 2008
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BY MICHAEL HAMERSLY
mhamersly@MiamiHerald.com

Cedella Marley Booker, mother of late reggae icon Bob Marley, died Tuesday night at her South Florida home after a long illness. She was 81.

Booker was surrounded by loved ones inside her South Miami-Dade home and was ''very happy and very peaceful,'' said daughter-in-law Sharien Booker. ``Her vision was always to bring people together. She was a very loving person, and we know she's happy.''

Booker's grandson, Ky-Mani Marley, an accomplished musician himself, told The Miami Herald she had always been a ``caring and supporting person in my life. She was always there to help me -- even when I didn't ask for help, she knew I needed help. She had that instinct to know when things were wrong and had the courage to fix it.''

Marley said the family was fortunate to be by Booker's side.

''We all live very close by, really just blocks away, so we were all in the vicinity,'' he said.

And though Booker had been struggling recently with heart problems, her death still came as somewhat of a shock, her grandson said.

''We knew she was sick, and she'd keep fighting and pulling through,'' he said. ``So it was"
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