Bob Marley fan from Driffield marks reggae singer’s 80th birthday

A Bob Marley superfan said listening to his music had “made him a better person” on what would have been the reggae legend’s 80th birthday.

Robert Flake, 59, from Driffield, East Yorkshire, said he had first discovered Marley’s music in his sister’s record collection when he was a teenager and had listened “all the time” ever since.

He said he was inspired by Marley, who died of cancer aged 36 on 11 May 1981, for standing up for people without a voice, as his songs had messages filled with “unity and social change”.

Mr Flake said he was spending the day listening to Marley’s hits, including Jamming and Sun is Shining, in his garden shed that is filled with his records and posters.