His albums have already gone platinum but Bob Marley will now be honoured in gold and silver as Jamaica issues a new cointo commemorate the reggae icon.<BLOCKQUOTE class=photo style="WIDTH: 220px"> Only 1,000 of the gold and silver coins featuring Marley's likeness will be sold. (Associated Press) </BLOCKQUOTE>
A spokeswoman for the Bank of Jamaica said Wednesday that 1,000 limited edition gold and silver coins will be sold.
The coins, which cost $115 each, were originally intended for sale in 2005 to mark the 60th anniversary of Marley's birth. However, the coins have just now been released for sale and the bank had no explanation for the delay.
The newcoinis only the second issued by the Bank of Jamaica to honour the musician,whois widelyconsidered the country's most famous son. It previously issued a Marley coin to mark what would have been his 50th birthday.
Born in 1945 in the rugged northern Jamaica hamlet of Nine Mile, Marley grew up in the rough shanty towns of Kingston. He rose to international fame in the 1970s with such hits as No Woman, No Cry and I Shot the Sheriff.
Marley succumbed to cancer in 1981 at age 36. He was given a state funeral and buried with his guitar at Nine Mile, which has become a popular tourist spot.
Last year, thousands of fans travelled to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa to celebrate what would have been the musician's 60th birthday. Marley was a member of Rasta, the religious movement that reveres former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie.
The massive event, which included a month-long festival and concert series, was organized by UNICEF, the African Union, the Bob Marley Foundation and the Rita Marley Foundation. It was the first time the late reggae star's birthday celebrations had ever been held outside his native Jamaica.<P class=source>With files from the Associated Press
A spokeswoman for the Bank of Jamaica said Wednesday that 1,000 limited edition gold and silver coins will be sold.
The coins, which cost $115 each, were originally intended for sale in 2005 to mark the 60th anniversary of Marley's birth. However, the coins have just now been released for sale and the bank had no explanation for the delay.
The newcoinis only the second issued by the Bank of Jamaica to honour the musician,whois widelyconsidered the country's most famous son. It previously issued a Marley coin to mark what would have been his 50th birthday.
Born in 1945 in the rugged northern Jamaica hamlet of Nine Mile, Marley grew up in the rough shanty towns of Kingston. He rose to international fame in the 1970s with such hits as No Woman, No Cry and I Shot the Sheriff.
Marley succumbed to cancer in 1981 at age 36. He was given a state funeral and buried with his guitar at Nine Mile, which has become a popular tourist spot.
Last year, thousands of fans travelled to the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa to celebrate what would have been the musician's 60th birthday. Marley was a member of Rasta, the religious movement that reveres former Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie.
The massive event, which included a month-long festival and concert series, was organized by UNICEF, the African Union, the Bob Marley Foundation and the Rita Marley Foundation. It was the first time the late reggae star's birthday celebrations had ever been held outside his native Jamaica.<P class=source>With files from the Associated Press
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