Bob Marley Musician Grandson Jo Mersa Dies at 31; Reggae Artist's Cause of Death Revealed

Reggae musician Joseph Mersa Marley, a Jamaican-American, passed away at the age of 31.

According to the streaming site TIDAL, the artist was discovered unconscious in a car in the US on Tuesday. A location was not mentioned in the first announcement.

Joe Mersa Marley Cause of Death

The performer, who went by the stage name Jo Mersa, allegedly battled asthma his whole life and passed away as a result of an asthma attack, according to Florida radio station WZPP. He is the son of Stephen Marley and the grandson of legendary reggae musician Bob Marley.

Bob, who is regarded as one of the founders of reggae music, unfortunately, passed away from cancer in 1981 at the age of 36. The late celebrity fathered 11 kids with seven different women.

Joseph Mersa Marley lived in Jamaica and attended Saints Peter and Paul Preparatory School. After that, he relocated to Florida and enrolled at Palmetto High School. He majored in studio engineering while attending Miami Dade College, as per Daily Mail.

He released the Comfortable EP in 2014, while Eternal was his album that year. In the film, which will be directed by King Richard filmmaker Reinaldo Marcus Green and produced by Rita Marley, her son Ziggy, and daughter Cedella Marley, the renowned singer will be portrayed by Kingsley Ben-Adir.

Rita, the widow of Bob Marley, will be played by Lashana Lynch, the No Time To Die actress who played MI6 agent Nomi in the James Bond epic.

Casting directors spent a lot of time looking for the ideal actress for the role and were especially interested in finding someone of Jamaican ancestry. Lynch was born in London, although her ancestors are from Jamaica.

Who is Joseph "Jo Mersa" Marley?

While Ziggy, one of Bob's 11 children, acknowledged that his father could be a strict parent because he was aware of the "danger" of living in Jamaica, Bob was regarded as the "master of cool."

Marley was born in Kingston, Jamaica, on March 12, 1991. He relocated to Miami at the age of 11. In 2010, he made his musical debut with the song 'My Girl,' a joint effort with his cousin Daniel Bambaata Marley. In 2014, he released Comfortable, his debut EP. Eternal, his debut album, was released in 2021.

Jo Mersa Marley discussed growing up in a musical culture in a Rolling Stone interview. But Mersa was determined to carve out a unique musical path for himself apart from his well-known family.

Per The Independent, the late musician stated, "I am one of the new generations of Marleys, yet I am also exploring at the same time. "I want to use my origins to create something fresh."

Jo Mersa revealed during the promotion of the songs that his grandpa, who passed away in 1981 at the age of 36, had spoken to Reggaeville.com about his legacy and that his family still talks about the times they spent together while remembering the late artist.

Following Jo Mersa's passing, Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness also paid tribute to him. Per PEOPLE, Holness called his passing "a major loss to the music as we look to the next generation" and added, "My heartfelt sympathies to Joseph's families and friends to the Reggae music fraternity, and to Reggae music lovers everywhere."