The couple met in Jamaica and their relationship quickly progressed, both professionally and personally. Bob and Rita welcomed three children together, in addition to kids from relationships outside of their marriage.
Their relationship is also at the heart of Reinaldo Marcus Green's recently released biopic, "Bob Marley: One Love," starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as Bob and Lashana Lynch as Rita.
Here's everything to know about Bob and Rita's romance.
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Bob and Rita met as musicians in Jamaica in the '60s
Rita recalled how she became acquainted with Bob in her 2004 memoir, "No Woman No Cry: My Life with Bob Marley."
As a teenager, Rita was a member of a group called the Soulettes that provided backup vocals for singers and bands — including Bob's band, the Wailers.
The Wailers passed Rita's house every day on the way to Studio One, which was owned by Clement "Coxsone" Dodd. She got to know Bob and his group mates because of their proximity, and the Soulettes eventually began singing backup for the Wailers at the studio.
At Dodd's suggestion, Bob started training and rehearsing with Rita and the Soulettes.
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"In a few short months this Robbie Marley, the shy guitarist, would become the love of my life," Rita wrote in her memoir.
Rita later performed backup vocals for Bob Marley and the Wailers as part of the trio known as the I Threes with Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt.
At the time, Rita already had one child, a daughter named Sharon, born in November 1964 from a relationship with an ex-boyfriend.
Sharon was about five months old when Bob first met her. Rita said that she was still in contact with her ex and Bob "insisted" that she end their correspondence. Bob adopted Sharon when he and Rita got married, per E! News.
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February 10, 1966: Bob and Rita get married
Rita was 19 and Bob had recently turned 21 when they exchanged vows at the office of the justice of the peace in Jamaica in 1966.
August 23, 1967: Their first child together, a daughter named Cedella Marley, is born in Kingston
"After Cedella's birth, Sharon became the proud big sister, a role she very much enjoyed," Rita wrote in her memoir.
October 17, 1968: Their son, David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley, is born
Ziggy was born via a home delivery at Rita's aunt's home.
April 20, 1972: Bob and Rita's third child together, a son named Stephen Marley, is born
Around this time, Bob was engaging in relationships with other women, two of whom got pregnant around the same time and gave birth weeks after Stephen was born.
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Robert "Robbie" Marley, the son of Bob and Pat Williams, was born on May 16, 1972. Rohan Anthony Marley, the son of Bob and Janet Hunt, was born on May 19, 1972.
"I was very upset at first to learn about all this, though it's common in Jamaica," Rita reflected in her book. "But since then, I've come to love both of these boys and to think of them as my sons."
According to Rita, she and Bob had an understanding about their arrangement
Bob also welcomed several more children: Karen Marley with Janet Bowen in 1973, Julian Ricardo Marley with Lucy Pounder in 1975, Ky-Mani Marley with Anita Belnavis in 1976, and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley with Cindy Breakspeare in 1978.
Rita had a relationship with Jamaican soccer player Owen "Ital Tacky" Stewart. They share two daughters: Stephanie Marley (born in 1974), whom Bob adopted, and Serita Stewart (born in 1985).
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"We had a lot in common, so eventually I found myself attracted to him as well as grateful for his attention, and we developed a relationship that I thought was normal," Rita said of Tacky in her memoir.
Before they became romantically involved, Rita said that Tacky was "sympathetic toward" her because he saw the way Bob treated her and their marriage.
"The next time he went off to London, just about 1973, it was quite obvious that he'd started having women right in my face," Rita said of Bob.
Rita said that she gave Bob an ultimatum and told him that if he was going to be involved with other women, they wouldn't have a sexual relationship anymore. Although Bob and Rita were both romantically involved with other people, they remained married until his death.
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"I guess the way I saw it was that he was not the man for their lives, but their man for a time," Rita wrote of the other women. "I never made friends with any of them; I didn't have to."
"I tried to train myself to think of Bob as a good loving brother more so than a real husband, and made my peace with the situation," she added.
Rita also said that Bob "remained a loving father and friend."
December 3, 1976: Bob and Rita are shot in Kingston 2 days before a concert
Bob, Rita, and the band were rehearsing at the reggae star's home at 56 Hope Road ahead of the Smile Jamaica peace concert.
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That evening, Rita left to attend a different rehearsal with a drama group she was part of. While she was in her vehicle, seven armed men stormed the home. Rita was shot in the head while in her car and Bob, who was in the kitchen, was shot in his chest and arm.
They both survived and recovered, taking the stage at Smile Jamaica two days later.
The shooting occurred not long after Cindy Breakspeare, another of Bob's girlfriends, was crowned Miss World 1976. After the Smile Jamaica concert, Rita and the kids relocated for safety while Bob self-exiled to England, where Cindy was living, and developed his "Exodus" album. Rita eventually joined Bob and contributed to the album.
By the time Bob and Cindy were dating, Rita said that she and her husband had a more friend-like dynamic and could talk casually about his outside relationship, "because the wife and husband thing could have gone into a divorce long before."
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"So we had overcome that, although we still maintained our relationship as the primary one," Rita wrote in her memoir.
"Another thing I'll say for Bob is that he never allowed any of these women to act disrespectfully to me," she added.
May 11, 1981: Bob dies of cancer in Miami
Bob died of acral lentiginous melanoma, a rare type of skin cancer, at 36 years old. The cancer was first detected in the big toe of his right foot in 1977 and spread throughout his body.
In her memoir, Rita credited a German doctor named Josef Issels with keeping Bob alive more than six months longer than others predicted he'd live. When Bob's health didn't improve, he was flown to Miami to spend the remainder of his time with Rita and his family.
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"Bob's passing was a downfall for me," Rita said. "He was my strength, my man, my first heart."
