How did Joseph Mersa Marley die? Reggae legend Bob Marley's grandson dead at 31
FLORIDA: Joseph Mersa Marley, grandson of reggae legend Bob Marley and son of musician Stephen Marley has reportedly died at the age of 31. On December 27, Jamaican journalist Abka Fitz-Henley initially tweeted that Mersa was allegedly found unresponsive in a vehicle. The singer is popularly known by his stage name 'Jo Mersa'.
According to an Instagram post shared by the South Florida radio station WZPP, the Jamaican-American reggae artist's death was confirmed and said that he died of an asthma attack. The exact location of his death has not been specified yet and Fitz-Henley's tweet updated that autopsy has not yet been performed.
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The reggae movement pioneer and Jamaican musician Bob Marley, grandfather of Jo Mersa, died of melanoma, at the age of 36 in 1981. Popularly known for his songs including 'Is This Love', 'Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,' 'No Woman, No Cry', 'Get Up, Stand Up,' among others. The late artist had 11 children with seven different partners.
As per the New York Post report, before moving to Florida to attend Palmetto high school, Mersa who was born on March 12, 1991, spent his early years in Jamaica attending Saints Peter and Paul Preparatory School. Later, he joined Miami Dade College where he studied studio engineering. In 2014, he released an EP titled 'Comfortable' including the title track. He has also made his appearance on Morgan Heritage's 'Strictly Roots', a Grammy-winning album.
“In all honesty, it depends on the vibe because sometimes you will have a tune or idea like a whole tune is in your head but no beat, and other times, you have a beat and no tune,” Jo Mersa talked about his songwriting skill in a 2021 interview with the Jamaica Gleaner during the time of his second EP 'Eternal'. He added to his point by saying “that’s for me, of course. I can’t speak for everyone. Some songs I am able to finish in a night, and some take longer.”. Melii, Black-Am-I, Busy Signal, and Kabaka Pyramid were featured in the EP.
According to the WZPP radio station's update, the reggae artist known for his hit 'Burn It Down', left behind a wife and daughter.