Jo Mersa Marley, the grandson of Reggae superstar Bob Marley, died recently at the age of 31. A spokesman at Rolling Stone verified his demise, however, the individual did not specify the cause of death. According to streaming site TIDAL, Jo Mersa Marley was discovered unconscious in a car on December 27. In addition, the South Florida radio station WZPP stated that he died as a result of an asthma attack. The location and circumstances of his death remain unknown as of this writing.
Twitter User pays their respects to Jo Mersa Marley after his tragic passing.
Netizens paid respect to Jo Mersa Marley on Twitter as word of his death spread. Several people mourned the young singer and noted that he had “gone too soon,” while others recalled his performances and contributions to the music business, urging others to remember and cherish his extraordinary skill.
🕯️🙏🏾💔 Condolences to Stephen Marley @stephenmarley and the entire Marley family for this tragic loss. Reports say that @JoMersaMarley (31) apparently passed due to complications concerning his asthma. He leaves behind a wife and daughter. Our hearts 💕 and prayers go out to you! pic.twitter.com/3z54ZJZvhg
— Roots Reggae Hub (@RootsReggaeHub) December 28, 2022
Deepest condolences to Stephen Marley & the entire Marley family for their loss. Rest in perfect peace ,Jo Mersa Marley .💔🕊️🕊️ pic.twitter.com/jbq6Rdk3ck
— Roland☥ (@RolandhuStler) December 28, 2022
A brief history of Jo Mersa Marley’s brief career
Jo Mersa Marley was born in Kingston, Jamaica on March 12, 1991. There, the artist attended Saints Peter and Paul Preparatory School. He relocated to Miami when he was 11 years old and attended Palmetto High School. Being Bob Marley’s third generation, he was constantly surrounded by music. His father, Stephen Marley, as well as his uncle, Ziggy Marley, and aunts Cadella and Sharon Marley, have all been on stage with him (their group was called Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers).
Jo released his debut single, My Girl, in cooperation with Bambaata in 2010. After graduating from Miami Dade College, where he studied studio engineering, he released his first solo EP Comfortable four years later. In a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone, Jo Mersa claimed that he and his cousin Daniel Bambaata were often requested to play the 1989 song “Look Who’s Dancing” by Medley Makers. Jo Mersa Marley shared in the journal what it was like growing up in a musical family.
“It was a pretty amazing thing, watching those folks coming around to the home and how the entire work process would proceed. I’d return home and attempt to finish my schoolwork, but I’d get sidetracked and go look in the studio. You’d constantly want to come in and out quickly to see what was going on.”
Mersa went on to say that he was “still playing” with his roots and that he planned to do “something new” with them. In 2016, he wrote the song Revelation Party with his father for his album Revelation Part 2: The Fruit of Life. Mersa’s most recent project, Eternal, was released in 2021 and included musicians such as Black-Am-I, Kabaka Pyramid, and Busy Signal.