Mother B Goes Home to Zion
April 9, 2008 – It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Cedella Marley Booker, in the late evening hours of April 8, 2008, of natural causes. Bob Marley’s mother, affectionately known as Mother B, was 81 years old. The matriarch of the Marley clan was deeply loved by family, friends, and people around the world who never had the opportunity or blessing to meet her.
Mother B was a wise and strong woman, spiritually grounded in Rastafari. She was a talented singer who basked in the glory of seeing her talented children and grandchildren continue the legacy of her first-born son, Robert Nesta Marley. She filled our world with song, humor, and wisdom. May her spirit guide all those who love her, and those dedicated family members who stood by her, stood for her, and were at her side when she flew away, home to Zion. Joyously reunited with her sons Nesta and Anthony, Mother B’s laughter and wisdom will be sadly missed by those of us remaining in this world. Our condolences go to her son Richard Booker and wife, Sharien, and to daughter Claudette (Pearl) Livingston. Selah.
NEWS! A Tribute to Mother Booker will be held inside the Garden House at Fairchild Tropical Garden on Tues., April 15, from 7 to 10 PM. The beautiful Fairchild, which Ms B. loved to visit, is located at 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, in south Miami. Watch here for more details. Later that week, Ms. B will be taken home to Nine Mile, Jamaica, the place where she was born, and laid to rest with her sons, Robert Nesta Marley and Anthony Booker. Our loss is Zion’s gain…
I will be putting my many interviews with Mother B on the site shortly, as well as a tribute article. She will be honored and recognized for her contribution to humanity, and the memorial tribute will be filled with music and song, video from her life and many travels, praises to Rastafari, and fond recollections of how she touched so many lives with her wisdom, faith, and courage. A joyous event to celebrate her life — she will smile her huge infectious smile ‘pon dat because Mother B always loved a fun-filled, music-filled party! Movement of Jah people, indeed!