ON the eve of Bob Marley's death 20 years ago, it's clear the reggae icon's popularity has transcended his passage.

The Havasupai Indians of Arizona regard Marley as a tribe member. Some Hindus in Nepal even worship him as a reincarnation of the deity Vishnu.

Then there's his music, which continues to sell like hotcakes, and his fans, who make pilgrimages to his mountain birthplace.

"Marley, he took our message to the world," said 35-year-old Ras George, a
Rastafarian who sells brooms on a Kingston street corner. "He still does ...
he's not dead, he's just not here with me or you."

Marley died May 11, 1981, from cancer, and was born Feb. 6, 1945.

While some mark Marley's death with solemn music-filled ceremonies, the 20th anniversary of his death is passing with little fanfare in this Caribbean nation because of a decision made years ago by Marley's widow.

"We've chosen to celebrate on his birthday," said Stephanie Marley, the late singer's daughter. "We just take this time to console each other and look within ourselves."

Another factor adding to the low-key observances of Marley's death in Jamaica is a tenet of Marley's Rastafarian faith.

Rastafarians, who consider the late Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie the messiah of the black man, view death simply as a step to bring believers closer to God, or "Jah."

Stephanie said her mother's decision was not theological, but "Rastas do not commemorate the death of anyone," said reggae historian Roger Stefans in a telephone interview from Hartford, Connecticut, where he is giving a lecture on Marley's life and music on Thursday night. "They refuse to acknowledge death."