It has been claimed he could have suffered a fatal asthma attack
Jamaican-American reggae artist Joseph Mersa Marley has tragically passed away at the age of 31.
The musician was found unresponsive in a vehicle in the United States on Tuesday, with unconfirmed reports suggesting he could have died of an asthma attack.
Jo is the grandson of iconic reggae musician Bob Marley and the son of Stephen Marley.
Bob tragically died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 36, and is widely considered one of the pioneers of reggae music. The late star had 11 children with seven different partners.
Joseph Mersa Marley spent his early years in Jamaica, where he attended Saints Peter and Paul Preparatory School. He then moved to Florida where he was a student at Palmetto High School. When at Miami Dade College he studied studio engineering.
In 2014 he released the EP called Comfortable and in 2021 he came out with Eternal.
According to Daily Mail reports, there is currently a new movie about Mersa’s grandfather, Bob Marley in the works.
Kingsley Ben-Adir is set to portray the legendary singer in the movie, which will be helmed by King Richard director Reinaldo Marcus Green and produced by Rita Marley, and her and Bob’s son Ziggy, and daughter Cedella Marley.
Lashana Lynch – the No Time To Die star who portrayed MI6 agent Nomi in the James Bond epic – will play Rita, Bob Marley’s widow.
Marley has been reported to have been a tough parent by one of his children, Ziggy, who said his father was painfully aware of the “danger” of life in Jamaica.
He said: “Growing up in Jamaica in the 1970s could be dangerous. There were guns everywhere. But as a kid the danger felt exciting. Every day was an adventure. I did not understand the seriousness of the situation.
“There were times when my father would tell me not to play on the street because he wanted to keep me safe. If I disobeyed him, he would give me a spanking.
“People think Bob was laid back about everything, but he was tough when it came to discipline.
“That is a traditional type of Caribbean parenting – old-school. Kids grow up very differently today.”
