Bob Marley’s Grandson Jo Mersa Marley Dead at 31 — the Reggae Music He Left Behind
On Dec. 26, Joseph “Jo Mersa” Marley, the grandson of music legend Bob Marley, died. The singer died at the age of 31 years old. Like his grandfather and his father Stephen Marley, Jo Mersa Marley was involved in music.
Bob Marley’s grandson Jo Mersa Marley died at the age of 31
On Dec. 27, Rolling Stone confirmed Jo Mersa Marley died “on Dec. 26 in Miami-Dade County.” The singer was 31 years old.
According to Rolling Stone, “A rep for Marley confirmed his death” and “A cause of death was not immediately given.”
Jo Mersa Marley was born in Jamaica in 1991, and following his death, Jamaican politician Mark J. Golding shared his condolences.
“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,” Golding tweeted.
Jo Mersa Marley was a musician
Like other members of his family, Jo Mersa Marley was a musician and reggae artist. At a young age, he began following in his father and grandfather’s footsteps.
The reggae musician released the EP Comfortable (EP) in 2014, and following its release he was interviewed by Rolling Stone.
“I am one of the new generation of Marleys, but I am still experimenting at the same time,” he told Rolling Stone. “My plan is to do something new with my roots.”
After living in Jamaica for the first few years of his life, Rolling Stone reports that Jo Mersa Marley moved to Miami with his family when he was 11 years old. Growing up in a musical family, the artist was constantly drawn to music.
“It was a very magical thing, seeing those people come around to the house and how the whole work process would happen,” he told Rolling Stone in 2014. “I would come home and try to do homework, but I’d end up getting distracted and go peek in the studio. You would always want to run in and run out to see what was going on.”
The reggae artist had multiple EPs
In addition to collaborating with other artists, Jo Mersa Marley had two EPs of his own. Comfortable was released in 2014.
According to Rolling Stone, “he produced five of six tracks.” The tracklist for Comfortable can be viewed below.
Comfortable tracklist:
- “Rock and Swing”
- “Sunshine”
- “Perfect 10” (feat. Jemere Morgan)
- “All to Me”
- “Bogus”
- “Comfortable” (Remix) [feat. Wayne Marshall]
In 2021, Jo Mersa Marley released an EP called Eternal. The album includes seven tracks.
Eternal tracklist:
- “Guess Who’s Coming Home”
- “Yo Dawg” (feat. Busy Signal)
- “Company” (feat. Melli)
- “Made It” (feat. Kabaka Pyramid)
- “No Way Out” (feat. Black-Am-I)
- “Thinking”
- “That Dream”
Some of his most high-profile collaborations include being featured on the song “Light It Up” which appeared on Morgan Heritage’s Grammy Award-winning album Strictly Roots. Jo Mersa Marley was also featured on the song “Revelation Party” on his father’s album Revelation Pt. 2 – The Fruit of Life.
“It is like a little stamp of approval from my dad,” Jo Mersa Marley told Rolling Stone. “To say, ‘All right, now you are ready.'”
