The Marley household has lost one of its own.
Joseph “Jo Mersa” Marley, who is the son of Stephen Marley and grandson of Bob Marley, has lost his life at the age of 31, a representative for the late musician substantiated to Rolling Stone on Dec. 27. A reason for death has not been disclosed.
In the trace of his death, public figures have expressed tributes for the Jamaican-born artist and the legacy he has vamoosed behind—one that was prosperous in music.
“My genuine compassion to Joseph’s friends and associates and to the Reggae music fraternity and fans around,” Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness penned in a Dec. 27 tweet. “His ill-timed demise at the young age of 31 years old is a tremendous loss to the music as we look to the successive generation.”
Holness added in a follow-up statement, “May he uncover Eternal Peace as we grieve his loss during this season of tenderheartedness when we honor with family and friends our adoration for each other.”
Meanwhile, Mark J. Golding, who conforms as the president of the People’s National Party, also assumed to the app to bewail the “tragic loss” of Jo Mersa.
“A gifted young reggae artiste, son of Stephen Marley & grandson of Bob Marley at just 31 yrs old,” Golding wrote on Twitter on Dec. 27. “The demise of a kid is a devastating drag no parent should encounter, my consolations to Stephen & the whole family.”
Having been born in the Marley household, which contains Ziggy, Sharon, and Cedella Marley, Jo Mersa was no alien to music from a very young age. Back in 2014, he reminisced about being brought up on stage at Melody Maker’s concerts to help in executing the hit “Look Who’s Dancing.”
“We would get up on the podium with my brothers and sisters,” Jo Mersa told Rolling Stone in 2014, “and there was a specific time where they would just give us the mic and we’d do our particular favorite part of the song.”
And it wouldn’t be extended until Jo Mersa was putting out his own tracks. In 2014, he unleashed his debut EP Comfortable, which, according to Rolling Stone, features dancehall, R&B, and EDM sounds.
The project was a creation of the fact that while Jo Mersa was basically reggae royalty, he was peeking to explore music.
“I am one of the most delinquent generations of Marleys, but I am still struggling and experimenting at the same time,” he told Rolling Stone in 2014. “My strategy is to do something fresh with my roots.”
That debut EP would not be the latest work Jo Mersa would put out. In 2020, he is assumed to release Everlasting (Remixes) and in 2021, he would announce an EP titled Eternal, which features seven tracks.
