The Marley family suffered a heartbreaking loss over the holidays with the passing of Joseph “Jo Mersa” Marley, who transitioned on December 26 in Miami-Dade County.
Jo Mersa is the son of Stephen Marley and the grandson of the late Reggae legend Bob Marley.
According to reports, Jo Mersa, who is also a musician, was “found in his vehicle.”
TMZ reports he died due to “asthma-related conditions,” but an official cause of death has not been released.
Mark J. Golding, a Jamaican politician, the Opposition Leader, and president of the People’s National Party, mourned Jo Mersa Marley’s passing on Twitter, writing:
I’ve just learned of the tragic loss of Joseph “Jo Mersa” Marley.
A talented young reggae artiste, son of Stephen Marley & grandson of Bob Marley at only 31 yrs old.
The loss of a child is a devastating blow no parent should face, my condolences to Stephen & the entire family.
See his original tweet below.
Grammy Award-winning artist, Shaggy, also took to social media to pay his respects to Jo Mersa.
In an Instagram post, he wrote, “So saddened by the news of the passing of this young king @jomersamarley sending prayers and condolences to the Marley family.”
See his original post below.
Via Rolling Stone:
Marley was born in Jamaica in 1992 before moving to Miami at age 11. He was surrounded by music and as a kid, even taking the stage with his father, as well as Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers (the group comprising his uncle Ziggy and aunts Sharon and Cedella). Often, as Marley told Rolling Stone in a 2014 interview, he and his cousin Daniel Bambaata Marley (Ziggy’s son) were tasked with singing the Melody Makers’ 1989 song, “Look Who’s Dancing.”
Marley began writing his own music in middle school and released his first official song “My Girl” (a collaboration with Daniel Bambaata) in 2010. Four years later, Marley dropped his debut solo EP, Comfortable, and in 2016 he joined his father on “Revelation Party,” a song from Stephen’s album Revelation Part 2: The Fruit of Life. His most recent project, Eternal — which featured collaborations with reggae and dancehall artists like Busy Signal, Black-Am-I, and Kabaka Pyramid — arrived in 2021.
My sincerest condolences and prayers to the Marley family and everyone who knew and loved Jo Mersa.
