Joseph Marley, also known as Jo Mersa, has reportedly died at the age of 31, after being found unresponsive in his vehicle.
According to South Florida radio station WZPP, the grandson of reggae legend Bob Marley and son of Grammy Award-winning musician Stephen Marley, has died of an asthma attack. He was 31.
He debuted in 2014 releasing, through iTunes and Spotify, an EP “Comfortable”. He also appeared on the Grammy-winning album Strictly Roots by Morgan Heritage.
The official autopsy results for Joseph’s death have not yet been revealed.
Joseph Marley leaves behind his famous father Stephen Marley and uncle Ziggy Marley.
Born in Jamaica in 1991, Jo Mersa moved to Miami at the age of 11, according to Rolling Stone. He attended Palmetto High School before enrolling at Miami Dade College, where he studied studio engineering. Jo Mersa was exposed to music at an early age while being raised by his father Stephen, 50, one of Bob’s 11 children who followed in the late reggae artist’s footsteps.
After beginning to write music in middle school, Jo Mersa released his first song “My Girl” — a collaboration with his cousin Daniel Bambaata Marley — in 2010. In 2014, Jo Mersa dropped his first EP, titled Comfortable. His latest and second EP, Eternal, was released last year.
While promoting the tracks, Jo Mersa opened up about his grandfather — who died in 1981 at the age of 36 — telling Reggaeville.com about his legacy and sharing that his family remembers the late singer by reminiscing about the memories they had with him.
The Burn It Down singer is also survived by his wife and daughter.