Muhammad Ali visited Bob Marley on his deathbed — Bob’s final words to the champion changed everything.

—Why did you do it? Why risk your life for a concert?

“Because the message was bigger than my life,” Bob said simply. “Because if I let fear stop me, then violence wins. Division wins, hate wins. I had to show that love is stronger than bullets, that music is more powerful than guns.” Bob looked intently at Ali. “Just like you showed the world that principles are more powerful than punishment. You could have gone to Vietnam. You could have kept your title, your money, your fame. But you chose principles over comfort. That’s what changed my life, champ. That’s what I tried to live by.”

Ali dried his eyes.

—Bob, you handled it better than I did. You never stopped, even when I was killing you.

“And that’s my regret,” Bob said quietly. “I should have stopped. I should have rested. I should have spent more time with my children, with Rita, with my mother. I thought the mission was more important than my life. But now, dying at 36, I realize the mission needed me to live. I could have done more if I had taken better care of myself.”

Ali felt something break inside him. Bob was telling him something important, something Ali needed to hear.

—Bob, are you telling me to slow down, to take care of myself?

Bob nodded weakly.

“Champ, I can sense something’s wrong with you. I see it in your movements. You’re fighting something.”

Ali’s hands trembled slightly. He’d been noticing it for months. The trembling, the slowness. He hadn’t told anyone yet.