BOB MARLEY - Now comes the blockbuster about the reggae legend

Bob Marley died far too young at the age of just 36. But he still lives on in the world of music. You'd almost have to be tone deaf not to appreciate songs like 'No Woman, No Cry' or 'One Love', which is also the title of a major motion picture that will premiere early in the new year.

Freddie Mercury was portrayed on film by actor Rami Malek as recently as 2018. Elton John got his biopic with the title Rocketman the following year. And last year we enjoyed Naomi Ackie as Whitney Houston in the movie: I want to Dance with Somebody.

But 42 years after his death, we're still waiting for the movie about reggae legend Bob Marley. Not for much longer. Already in January, the movie: One Love will premier with British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir playing the Jamaican reggae star.

Cannabis, Rastafari, dreadlocks - and a string of reggae hits. There's no doubt that Jamaican reggae musician Bob Marley was something out of the ordinary. He was a musical genius who could make his red Gibson Les Paul guitar purr like few have ever been able to. Add oil drums and Caribbean rhythms, and it was a straight path to global fame - not to mention near-god status back home in Jamaica.

It was quite a story that took off on February 6, 1945, when Bob Marley was born in the Saint Ann parish in the Nine Mile District of Jamaica. Already at school, he found a friend in his classmate Neville Livingston. Together they explored the new trend: ska music. They also cultivated rhythm & blues songs from American radio stations. As teenagers, they formed a vocal group with Bunny Wailer. It was only later that Bob Marley actually learned to play guitar. But the groundwork was laid for the reggae group that would go on to global success: Bob Marley and the Wailers.

In their mid-teens, they were already a local hit. But it wasn't until 1969 that they truly broke through the sound barrier. By then, it was all about reggae. And in the early 1970s, they released two albums: Soul Rebels (1970) and Soul Revolution (1971). This led to a UK tour as the opening band for musician Johnny Nash. He later left them without a penny in England. Instead, they sought help from Chris Blackwell, the guy who had started Island Records. He had grown up in Jamaica, and he paid for their return travel and studio time so they could record a new LP. The result was Catch a Fire (1973). This was a real turning point in the life of the now 28-year-old Bob Marley.

Album after album followed: Rastaman Vibration (1976) and Uprising (1980), which would be his last. During a football match back in 1977, he injured his big toe. The injury wouldn't heal and it turned out he was suffering from a particularly aggressive form of skin cancer. Doctors recommended amputation, but that would make his stage performance a living hell. And it also went against his religious upbringing. Both Rastafari and the Orthodox Church opposed the doctors' recommendations. In 1981, it was coming to an end. The cancer had spread to his liver, lungs and brain. On May 11, he closed his eyes for the last time.

He was buried on the island of his birth. Almost half of Jamaica's 2.5 million inhabitants accompanied him on his final journey. He was awarded the highest honor from the island nation in the form of the Order of Merit.

He was laid to rest with his red Gibson Les Paul guitar, a Bible opened to Psalm 23 - and a stalk of cannabis.

He was only 36 years old, but he had captivated a whole world. Today, he still lives on in music. So much so that his music is played an average of 20 million times a month on Spotify. That's quite a legacy. There is indeed a good reason to look forward to the upcoming movie about his life and legacy.