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Jo Mersa Marley, Grandson Of Bob Marley And Son Of Stephen Marley, Dead At 31

A rep for the family confirmed the news.

Joseph “Jo Mersa” Marley—the grandson of reggae legend Bob Marley and son of musician Stephen Marley—has died at the age of 31.

Rolling Stone reports a rep for the family has confirmed the musician’s death. At the time of this story, no cause of death has been given.

Marley was born in Jamaica and moved to Miami at the age of 11. A member of one of the most legendary families in reggae music, he and his cousin Daniel Bambaata Marley started making music together in their teens. His first official song, “My Girl,” was released in 2010 after years of singing alongside his uncle Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers—a group that also features two of his aunts, Sharon and Cadella.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Jo Mersa Marley said that growing up in such a musical environment “was a very magical thing, seeing those people come around to the house and how the whole work process would happen,” he said. “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.”

He added, “I am one of the new generation of Marleys, but I am still experimenting at the same time. My plan is to do something new with my roots.”

Marley released a solo EP, Comfortable, in 2014 and two years later he joined his father on the single, “Revolution Party,” from Stephen’s album Revelation Part 2: The Fruit of Life.

In 2021, Jo Mersa Marley released a project called Eternal—featuring collaborations with Busy Signal, Black-Am-I, and Kabaka Pyramid.

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