Late reggae star Bob Marley honored on limited edition gold and silver coins in Jamaica

Jet, Dec 11, 1995

Bob Marley, the late reggae superstar often called the "lung of Reggae," is being honored in his native Jamaica on limited edition gold and silver coins. The gold coin sells for about $400 and the silver coin goes for about $38.

The island's central bank, Bank of Jamaica, issued the coins that feature Marley's portrait on one side and the Jamaican coat-of-arms on the other side.

Marley died of brain cancer in 1981 at the age of 36. He, along with his band, The Wailers, popularized reggae music around the world.

A devout Rastafarian, Marley wrote and sang politically laced songs about the wicked ways of "Babylon," the "system" that exploited the have-nots and fostered the Trenchtown slums he grew up in.

I Shot The Sheriff is the tune for which the singer became well known. The song was a No. 1 single in the United States in 1974.

Born Robert Nesta Marley, his birthday, Feb. 6, is celebrated as a national holiday in Jamaica.