Family, supporters remember Bob Marley

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Family and supporters of Bob Marley gathered in the Ethiopian capital to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the singer's birth.

Marley's wife, Rita, his sons, including singer Ziggy Marley, gathered in the city's Meskel Square for the day-long "Africa Unite" concert Sunday, featuring singers Lauryn Hill, formerly of the Fugees; Angélique Kidjo of Benin, and various Ethiopian entertainers, the New York Times reports.

Marley was said to have had a special fondness for Ethiopia, regarded as the promised land for Rastafarians, the dreadlocked Jamaican spiritualists Marley credited with much inspiration. The concert was organized by the Bob and Rita Marley Foundation, a philanthropic group that works in Ethiopia. It was the first time the birthday festivities had been held outside of Jamaica since Marley died of cancer at 36 in 1981.

The concert was sanctioned by the Ethiopian government, which saw the event as good for the country's economy.