“I join all Jamaicans, and many persons from around the world, in celebrating the 70th anniversary of the birth of the Honorable Robert Nesta Marley,” Simpson-Miller said in a statement.

The singer was a “musical giant” that helped globalize reggae and made the Jamaican people understand that “we must get up and stand for our rights,” she said.

“The ‘legendary’ Bob Marley represents us as a people of great strength, endless talent, creative genius, and advocates against oppression and injustice,” the prime minister said.

She added that the artist – who died in 1981 at age 36 – taught Jamaica “the glorious history of the black race” and made people uncomfortable with poverty and injustice, “urging us to correct these ills.”

“Today, I pay tribute to Bob Marley, his family and all our Reggae ambassadors. Let us remember the foundation message of the music in the immortal words of Robert Nesta Marley: ‘One love! One heart! Let’s get together and feel alright,'” she said.