He followed in his family’s musical footsteps, taking the stage with his family’s band, Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers.
Jo Mersa Marley, Bob Marley’s grandson, dies at 31
MIAMI – Reggae musician Joseph “Joe Mersa” Marley, grandson of Bob Marley and son of Stephen Marley, has died at age 31.
His representative confirmed his death to Rolling Stone on Tuesday, but the cause of death was not immediately released.
Born in Jamaica and raised in Miami, Marley followed in his family’s musical footsteps, taking to the stage with his family’s band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers. He began writing music while in middle school and made his musical debut in 2010 with the release of the single “My Girl”, on which he collaborated with his cousin Daniel Bambaataa Marley. In 2016, he collaborated with his father on a song for his next album
“Revelation Part 2: The Fruit of Life”.
Joe Mersa Marley spoke about how music permeated his upbringing in a previous interview with Rolling Stone.
You always want to run and run to see what’s going on,” he said.
He was intent on forging his own path, and released his debut album “Eternal” in 2021.
He studied studio engineering at Miami Dade College
I’m one of the new generation of Marleys, but I’m still experimenting at the same time,” he told Rolling Stone. “My plan is to do something new with my roots.”
The news of Marley’s death drew an outpouring of grief on social media, including a post by Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
Holness tweeted Tuesday, “My deepest condolences to Joseph’s friends and associates and to the reggae music fraternity and fans everywhere. “His untimely death at 31. A huge loss to music as we look to the next generation.”