Bob Marley’s Grandson Dies At 31
Bob Marley’s Jamaican-American grandson sadly passed away at 31 years old. “Joseph Mersa Marley was found unresponsive in his car in the US last Tuesday,” according to TIDAL, a streaming service. The announcement has not yet specified the location of the artist’s discovery.
The reggae artist who goes by the stage name Jo Mersa was known to have had asthma all his life. Florida radio station WZPP, reported that his death was due to a severe asthma attack.
Joseph or Jo is the grandson of Bob Marley, the iconic reggae musician who changed the history of this music genre. His father was Stephen Marley, one of the 11 children that Bob Marley had with seven different women. When he was 36 years old, Bob, regarded as one of the pioneers of reggae, succumbed to cancer
Neither Joseph’s family nor a representative have issued an official statement yet.
Joseph Mersa spent his early childhood years in Jamaica. He attended Saints Peter and Paul Preparatory School, eventually moving to Florida and becoming a Palmetto High School student. He completed his undergraduate studies at Miami Dade College, where he majored in studio engineering.
In 2014, Jo released Comfortable, his first EP; a few years later, in 2021, he released Eternal to the public. His blood association with Bob Marley helped kick-start his music career.
Recall that there was recent news about a Bob Marley movie in the works. Kinsley Ben-Adir is set to portray the legendary Bob Marley in the movie. Reinaldo Marcus Green, who also directed King Richard, is the director of the film. The film is produced by Rita Marley, Bob’s other son Ziggy, and other daughter, Cedella Marley.
Rita, Bob’s widow, will be brought to life by Lashana Lynch—the same actress who starred in No Time To Die as Nomi, the MI6 agent in the infamous James Bond epic.
According to the movie team, casting and deciding the actors and actresses to portray real-life characters was a challenge for everyone. Finding the right actress, particularly Rita Marley, entailed a lengthy process. The decision-makers of the movie wanted someone who had Jamaican heritage.
Lashana turned out to be a perfect fit because, despite being born in London, her family originally hails from Jamaica.
Bob Marley, throughout his career, exuded an upbeat and chill vibe. This is reflected in his music, which is something that all reggae artists have come to embrace through their music. And while Bob was pegged as the King of Chill, it was a different case when it came to being a father.
Ziggy has previously shared that his father was a strict parent, and this came from knowing the dangers and complexity of life in Jamaica firsthand, where every day was a battle to survive.
He admitted that, based on his father’s stories, Jamaica was a difficult place to be in the 1970s. Growing up in the country was dangerous. The presence of guns was constant, although it might seem exciting from a kid’s standpoint.
Ziggy mentioned that he didn’t understand the severity or the dangers lurking around at the time and that each day was an adventure. He further shared that, at times, his father, Marley, would tell him not to play on the streets to keep him safe, and if he misbehaved or disobeyed, he got a good spanking from his father.
Ziggy accepted that Bob was laid back about everything as an artist. Still, he was serious and tough, especially when it came to disciplining his children. Ziggy also admitted that, like most Caribbean parents, his father used traditional parenting for him and his brothers—a massive contrast to how children are managed today.
