Source: Johnny Louis / Getty
Losing music legend Bob Marley 41 years ago still hurts many to the core, and sadly we now must confirm that another person of his biological family has joined him in the afterlife.
It’s recently been reported that Joseph ‘Jo’ Mersa Marley, grandson of the Tuff Gong founder, had died as a result of asthma-related conditions according to TMZ.
He was 31 years old.
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More on the life of Jo Mersa 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 Cadella). 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 Medley 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.”
Fans, both of Mersa’s legendary grandfather and his own music, have began flooding social media to send their heartfelt condolences. Prime Minister of Jamaica, Andrew Holness, expressed his thoughts on the loss of a native via Twitter, writing, “My heartfelt sympathies to Joseph’s friends and associates and to the Reggae music fraternity and fans everywhere. His untimely passing at the young age of 31y.o. is a huge loss to the music as we look to the next generation.” Holness went on to add in another tweet, “May he find Eternal Peace as we mourn his loss during this season of goodwill when we celebrate with family and friends our love for each other.”
May Joseph ‘Jo’ Mersa Marley rest in eternal peace, and hopefully he’ll let grandad know just how much he’s very much still missed. Watch the visual component to his Eternal Mixtape below: