(Gibson) On this day in 1980, Bob Marley collapsed on stage during a concert at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Marley had collapsed in New York's Central Park while jogging two days before and was told to immediately cancel the U.S. leg, but flew to Pittsburgh to perform one final performance. This was the last time Marley ever appeared on stage performing. Marley died of cancer on in May 1981. Gibson takes a look back: Numerous rumors have popped up over the years concerning Marley's illness and subsequent death. One story goes that while playing in a celebrity soccer game he was kicked in the toe by English journalist and now radio presenter Danny Baker, bringing on a melanoma that, left untreated (thanks to Marley's religious beliefs,) eventually spread through his body and killed him four years later.
Whatever the initial cause of the problem, Marley was found to be seriously ill by doctors in the U.S. and he embarked on an alternative cancer treatment at a Bavarian clinic. The treatment encouraged a strict diet regimen but failed to slow down Marley's deterioration. more on this story
