The new Bob Marley statue, which now stands at the Bob Marley Museum in Kingston.(Photo: Michael Gordon)

A new statue of Reggae king Bob Marley, was unveiled at the museum named after the entertainment superstar, at 56 Hope Road in Kingston yesterday.

The new statue, sculpted by Pierre Rouzier, is made from bronze and weighs 500 pounds. Rouzier, who also sculpted the life-sized statue of Marley that stands at the entrance of the Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, took just under six months to finsh the latest Marley monument.

Donisha Prendergrast, Marley's granddaughter, unveiled the new statue during a ceremony at the museum. Prendergrast who represented Marley's widow, Rita, at the unveiling ceremony, was elated at being handed the honour.

"It means a lot to me. This occasion brings me closer to him," a smiling Prendergrast said.

The eldest member of the third generation of Marleys also expressed her pleasure at the workmanship.

"It is such a simple style of art. Bob was a simple and sexy man and we would have done him an injustice to portray him otherwise," Prendergrast said.

Prayers and blessings were offered by clergy from the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which added a spiritual flavour to the historic occasion.

Murals of Haile Selassie 1, Marcus Garvey and the I-Threes - the trio made up of Marley's wife Rita, Judy Mowatt and Marcia Griffiths that provided back up vocals for Marley during his live appearances and in studio - adorned the base of the structure. The paintings were done by artist Junior Moore.

An older statue which once decorated the grounds of the museum, has been donated to the Trench Town Culture Yard, by the Bob Marley Foundation.

The Trench Town Culture Yard, was Marley's home before his meteoric rise to superstar status. An old Volkswagen bus which Marley used to drive also remains parked in the yard.

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