Why Peter Tosh Refused to Attend Bob Marley's Funeral - "I Never Loved Bob Marley"

Why Peter Tosh Refused to Attend Bob Marley's Funeral - "I Never Loved Bob Marley"

Peter Tosh, one of the founding members of The Wailers alongside Bob Marley and Bunny Wailer, was known not just for his music, but for his uncompromising stance on truth, justice, and African liberation. When Bob Marley died in 1981, the world expected Tosh—one of Marley’s earliest musical brothers—to be present at the funeral. But to many people’s surprise, he refused to attend. His decision wasn’t rooted in hatred, but in deep ideological and personal convictions that reflected his complex relationship with Marley and the music industry.

Tosh had a turbulent relationship with Bob Marley after the original Wailers split in the mid-1970s. While Marley became a global superstar, Tosh often felt marginalized and overlooked by the music industry, which he believed elevated Bob while sidelining the contributions of the other Wailers. Tosh was outspoken about the exploitation of Jamaican artists, especially by foreign record labels and political systems. He saw Marley’s rise to global fame as being carefully managed by people Tosh didn’t trust—particularly Chris Blackwell of Island Records, whom Tosh accused of shaping Marley’s image for Western audiences while ignoring the deeper revolutionary message of reggae.

When Marley was given a state funeral with full honors by the Jamaican government, Tosh saw it as hypocrisy. The same system that had ignored or suppressed Marley’s political messages during his life was now celebrating him in death. Tosh believed the ceremony was more about political showmanship than genuine respect for Marley’s legacy. To him, the government and establishment were trying to claim a man whose message had stood against them.

In an interview after Marley’s death, Tosh said, *“I don’t want to be part of no hypocritical situation. When Bob was living, they tried to destroy him. Now he’s dead, dem want to give him big funeral. Me no want no part of it.”*

For Peter Tosh, staying away from the funeral was a radical act of protest. It was his way of remaining true to his values—refusing to participate in what he saw as a sanitized, government-controlled sendoff for a revolutionary spirit. Though he loved and respected Bob Marley, Tosh made it clear: honoring his friend didn’t require being part of a ceremony he saw as false.