Ziggy Marley Posts Rare Photo of Mom Rita, Calls Her 'My Strength'

The 55-year-old previously described his mother as "the backbone of everything" in a conversation with PEOPLE

ziggy-ritamarleytout
Ziggy Marley and Rita Marley during the TNT Bob Marley All Star Tribute in Jamaica. Photo:

Kevin Mazur/Wireimage

Ziggy Marley is taking time to recognize his mom, Rita Marley.

The 55-year-old son of late reggae icon Bob Marley shared a rare photo of his 77-year-old mother in an Instagram post on Tuesday, June 25.

The image showed a close-up of Rita making a thumbs-up gesture while wearing an orange blouse, green cap, and colorful jewelry.

"My strength . Mommy ❤️. @officialritamarley," Ziggy captioned the post.

One fan commented, "She is a beautiful person inside and out ❤️❤️❤️." Another wrote, "Queen Mama ❤️💚💛."

In February 2024, Ziggy opened up to PEOPLE about Rita's constant support for his late father and their family.

My mom is the backbone of everything. Without her, none of this would’ve been happening," he said. "My father's career wouldn’t be what it is. They really complement each other in that way. You need someone like that by your side. You can’t do it alone. You could never do it alone.".

Bob Marley, Rita Marley
Bob Marley, Rita Marley. Chris Walter/WireImage ; jean-Louis Atlan/Sygma/Getty

Along with Ziggy, Rita and Bob share adult children Cedella and Stephen. He also adopted her daughters Sharon and Stephanie from other relationships and had additional children with different women.  

Ziggy told PEOPLE that his parent's came “up together from nothing" and, therefore, had a relationship that involved "more than a physical connection."

"They had a spiritual connection, and that’s the deepest kind of connection you can have," he said.

Ziggy Marley attends the UK Premiere of "Bob Marley: One Love" at on January 30, 2024 in London, England.
Ziggy Marley at the UK Premiere of "Bob Marley: One Love" on January 30, 2024.

Samir Hussein/WireImage

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Ziggy, a father of seven, added that his upbringing involved being surrounded by family, which makes him believe his father would have "loved being a grandpa."

"We grew up in a big family, so children were always around. He would be a very loving grandfather. I see a little bit of something of him [in them] every now and again. It’s lovely to see. It’s joyful," he said. "One of my sons is like him. He’s a bit like my father, just like my father. He’s a boy just like Bob."

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