Jacob Marley was a business partner of Ebenezer Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens. He died seven years before the story begins, and his ghost appears to Scrooge as a warning of the consequences of his actions. Marley's death is never explicitly explained, but it is hinted that he died of a heart attack due to his greedy and selfish lifestyle. Dickens uses Marley's death as a cautionary tale about the dangers of greed and the importance of showing kindness and compassion to others.