Bob Marley^†

His international breakthrough came through somebody else's record. Eric Clapton covered "I Shot the Sheriff" in 1974, and the resulting exposure finally pushed Marley onto international radio. He'd been recording since 1963 with a solid Jamaican following, but nothing had crossed over. A live recording of "No Woman, No Cry" became his first hit outside Jamaica in 1975. The Clapton cover was the unlock nobody planned for.

His Legend compilation has sold over 15 million copies in the US alone, with tracks accumulating over 4 billion Spotify streams. Primary Wave spent over $50 million for a share of his publishing catalog in 2018. The estate reportedly earns $25-30 million annually, landing him regularly on Forbes' highest-paid dead celebrities list. The Marley brand now runs cannabis products, a Kingston museum, and global licensing deals. Few artists this dead are this commercially alive.

In 1977 a soccer injury to his right toe turned into a melanoma diagnosis: acral lentiginous melanoma, a rare skin cancer that develops under the toenail. Doctors recommended amputation. He refused, citing Rastafarian beliefs that prohibit removing parts of the body. That decision probably cost him years. He converted to Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity in November 1980, baptized under the name Berhane Selassie. Rita Marley placed cannabis, a Bible open at Psalm 23, and his red Gibson Les Paul in the coffin.

An estimated 100,000 mourners filed past his coffin at Jamaica National Arena, with police using tear gas when crowds became unruly. Jamaica's government postponed the national budget announcement to accommodate the state funeral. He was buried on May 21, 1981, at Nine Mile, his birthplace. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994.