A new photography book entitled “Bob Marley: Portrait of the Legend” will be released on October 13, 2020, in honor of the 75th anniversary of the legendary reggae artist’s birth. The book features a collection of 150 photographs collected from the family archives by Bob Marley’s son, Ziggy Marley, an eight-time Grammy-winning musician. The book is the first of its kind to be approved for publication by the Bob Marley Foundation.

The oversized book is published by Rizzoli International Publications, which issued a statement saying it was pleased to present a work that celebrates the life and influence of one of the greatest musical and sociopolitical icons in the history of 20th-century popular culture.

The photographs presented in the book provide a mix of iconic and intimate pictures that include images from Bob Marley’s stage performances, scenes of him in the studio, and his family life in Jamaica. In addition to the photos, the book features excerpts from previously unpublished interviews that offer a look at Bob Marley as a legend, his music and life, and quotes that provide a glimpse into the mind of an individual who continues to have a major impact on the world to this day. The final ten years of Bob Marley’s life, a period in which he achieved his greatest global fame, is the focus of the book.

Bob Marley died in 1981 at the age of 36. He left behind a major musical and social and cultural legacy and along 11 children, including Ziggy Marley, who followed his father’s example and became a music star himself.

When asked by an interviewer from Relix if collecting the photographs for the book and making his album “More Family Time” brought out new feelings or thoughts about his family, Ziggy Marley responded, “I would say yes, but I’m not consciously aware of it. I live in the moment. I’m not contemplating those things a lot. I’m just doing things. But, looking at those pictures was so nostalgic for me. For Bob, family is his first love, not music. I remember those days. Those were some of the best times. And, it’s also kind of melancholic. There can be a sadness about it. The book isn’t about iconic shots, though there are some iconic shots in there. The book is about real photos. You can see Bob from a different perspective; get a deeper understanding not just of the icon, but of a regular man and a regular life.”