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Birth Name: Damian Robert Nesta Marley
Place of Birth: Kingston, Jamaica
Date of Birth: 21 July, 1978
Ethnicity: Jamaican [African, English, smaller amounts of Irish and Sephardi Jewish, distant German and Dutch]
Damian Marley is a Jamaican DJ, singer, lyricist, and rapper. He is nicknamed “Jr. Gong.”
His father was reggae singer and songwriter Bob Marley , who was Jamaican. His mother, Cindy Breakspeare (Cynthia Jean Cameron Breakspeare), Miss World 1975, is a jazz musician and model, who was born in Canada and raised in Jamaica. He is the half-brother of reggae singers/musicians Sharon Marley, Cedella Marley, Ziggy Marley , and Stephen Marley, entrepreneur and professional football player Rohan Marley , reggae musician and songwriter Julian Marley, and reggae musician Ky-Mani Marley. He is the half-uncle of filmmaker, activist, and actress Donisha Prendergast, musicians Bambaata Marley , Jo Mersa Marley , Skip Marley , Selah Marley , who is also a model, and YG Marley ; and professional football player Nico Marley.
Damian’s paternal grandfather had English, and a small amount of African, ancestry, and his maternal grandmother was also white, of English, Irish, and distant German and Dutch, descent. Damian’s paternal grandmother was a black Jamaican, and his maternal grandfather a Jamaican with African and Sephardi Jewish ancestry.
Damian’s paternal grandfather was Norval Sinclair Marley (the son of Albert Thomas “Robert” Marley and Ellen Ann Bloomfield). Norval was born in Clarendon, Jamaica, and had English, and a small amount of African, ancestry. Albert was born in South Weald, Brentwood, Essex, England, the son of Frederick Marley and Hannah Jane Tiltman. Damian’s great-grandmother Ellen was born in Jamaica, the daughter of Richard Bloomfield and Ann Elizabeth Alexander, who was of part African descent.
Damian’s paternal grandmother was Cedella Editha Malcolm (the daughter of Omeriah/Amariah “Custus” Malcolm and Alberta/Albertha Melida Willoughby/Whilby). Cedella was a black Jamaican, born in Saint Ann’s Bay, Saint Ann. Omeriah was born in Saint Ann, the son of Robert Malcolm and Katherine Bygrave. Damian’s great-grandmother Alberta was born in Saint Ann, the daughter of David/Daniel Whilby/Willoughby and Hannah/Anna Downs.
Damian’s maternal grandfather was Louis Cameron Breakspeare (the son of John Cameron Breakspeare and Mavis Claire Sanguinetti). Louis was Jamaican, and had African and Sephardi Jewish ancestry. John was the son of Thomas John Breakspeare and Charlotte Emeline Hall. Mavis was the daughter of Charles Sanguinetti. The Sanguinetti family descends from an Italian Jew.
Damian’s maternal grandmother was Marguerite Cochrane (the daughter of Thomas Cochrane and Lillian Beatrice Vernal). Marguerite was a white Canadian. Thomas was born in Lancashire, England, and was the son of William Cochrane, whose parents were Irish, and of Margaret Hopper. Lillian was born in Canada, and was the daughter of Allen Miner Vernal, who was of English, and some German and Dutch descent, and of Ruth Elizabeth Brown, who was English.
There are claims on the internet that Bob Marley had some degree of Jewish ancestry, sometimes cited as Syrian Jewish, through his father, or, sometimes, his mother. There is no documented evidence that Bob had Jewish ancestry. The Bloomfield family line from which Bob descended, a famous family in Jamaica, is sometimes cited as having been originally Jewish; this is almost certainly false.
Sources: Genealogy of Damian Marley – https://www.geni.com
Genealogies of Damian’s father – http://www.wargs.com http://www.wikitree.com https://www.findagrave.com
Marriage record of Damian’s maternal great-grandparents, John Cameron Breakspeare and Mavis Claire Sanguinetti – https://www.familysearch.org