BOB MARLEY - BOB MARLEY'S WIFE CLAIMS HE RAPED HER

Legendary reggae star BOB MARLEY's peace-loving legacy has been thrown into question - his widow has stunned fans by claiming he raped her.

RITA MARLEY, who married the NO WOMAN, NO CRY singer in an "impulse" wedding in 1966, insists she enjoyed a harmonious relationship with Marley until he rocketed to fame.

Rita, the former backing singer for Bob's band THE WAILERS, understands why Marley frequently succumbed to the temptation of extra-marital affairs - but is still reeling about the night her husband allegedly assaulted her in the bedroom.

She says, "Bob wouldn't take no for an answer. He said to me, 'No your my wife and your supposed to.' So he forced himself on me, and I call that rape.

"Afterwards I felt so terrible, I screamed at him, 'I hate you, I hate you.'

"Just because he did these things and cheated on me doesn't mean he was a bad husband. He always provided for me, always gave me what I wanted.

"But he was corrupted by showbusiness, by the girls who would throw themselves at him. This is what I've come to understand."