Selah Marley, one of Bob Marley’s granddaughters, is lamenting that she never got to meet and have a relationship with her grandfather. Bob Marley is regarded widely as a musical legend for his soulful reggae music, touching generations worldwide.
The Jamaican music legend is being honored for the first time with a Paramount Pictures biopic played by Kingsley Ben-Adir and shot in Jamaica. The biopic covers some of the events Marley survived during his life, which was short-lived due to cancer in his 30s. At the time of his death, his children were still very little.
Selah’s father, Rohan Marley, was only nine years old at the time of his death. So, he would not have met any of his grandkids. Following this week’s premiere of the biopic attended by many, including British royals Prince Harry and Megan Markle, many look forward to the film’s release on February 14th. On Tuesday, Selah, the daughter of Lauryn Hill, reflected on the absence of the family patriarch amid the promotions for the biopic.
“Unrelated, but all this Bob Marley movie promo really just keeps reminding me of the fact that I was robbed of a grandfather,” the young model posted on Instagram.
Fans also called her out for sounding like she didn’t like the biopic. However, she clarified that the film reminded her of the absence of her grandfather.
“Y’all are dragging it. Never said my family wasn’t a part of the movie. Never said I didn’t like it. Never said….any of those things,” she said. “I simply stated that [the film] is a stark reminder of the fact that my grandfather passed when my father [was only 9 years old & that can be a saddening thing to remember at times.”
via Selah Marley IG
Selah Marley also explained her sadness, noting that “it’s not even a debilitating or anything, or even a sadness that requires pity. It’s more just a humanizing sadness.”
“While my grandfather was a legendary man for the world… he was still a father, a grandfather, a brother, an uncle, a friend and a son, the patriarch of my family,” she added while encouraging fans to watch the film.
