Joseph “Jo Mersa” Marley died at 31 after he was reportedly found unresponsive in a vehicle on Tuesday.
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South Florida radio station WZPP confirmed the news on Instagram, writing that the singer died of an asthma attack but did not reveal his location. Marley is the grandson of Bob Marley, a reggae legend, and the son of Stephen Marley. Jo Mersa was born in Jamaica and raised there before moving to Florida during his high school years. According to the New York Post, he studied studio engineering at Miami Dade College.
He released the EP “Comfortable” in 2014, and his second EP, “Eternal,” in 2021. Jo Mersa mentioned his grandfather’s legacy and how often his family reflected on the role he played in reggae music in a recent interview with Reggaeville. The singer is survived by his wife and daughter.
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“Family-wise, you would hear memories from my father or from our uncles, you would see them posting pictures or even just speaking to us in an environment talking about ‘I remember when Daddy did this or when he came from Africa or when Daddy did this interview or when he was in Italy.’
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The singer mentioned in an interview with Rootfire that he started producing music at the age of 12 when his uncle Ziggy purchased a computer to help pursue his passion.
“Then when I was around 12 my cousins and I went on the Melody Makers’ Roots Rock tour. Uncle Ziggy bought my cousins an Apple laptop and we used the Garage Band software and made our beats on it; we recorded from the microphone, put on our headphones and that became our studio for a good three years. That is when my song writing started to get more focused and it even made my writing in school better because I started to take my words more seriously.”
Although initial reports said the singer possibly died from an asthma attack, an official autopsy report has yet to be released.
Fans react to the singer’s death and expressed their condolences to the Marley family
After learning the news of Jo Mersa’s death, fans poured in to express their condolences for the singer’s family and close friends. One fan wrote, “This is horrible news! My heart goes out the family in this difficult time… this is so sad.” Another said, “Sad. Condolences to his family. Hope we get some answers.”
Omg r.i.p prayers for Stephen Marley and his family
— common sense connoisseur🇧🇧🇯🇲 (@poppy4161) December 27, 2022
My condolences, this is soooo sad and unfortunate. Unbelievable 😢😢🙏🏽🙏🏽💐
— Empress Truth Akins (@Empresstruth) December 27, 2022
Need time to process this sad tragic news! Sending massive condolences to Stephen Marley and the entire family.
— Karl Henry (@boscobel19) December 27, 2022