Photo: Jo Mersa Marley | By Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone | Joseph “Jo Mersa” Marley, grandson of Bob Marley and son of Stephen Marley, has died at the age of 31. A rep for Marley confirmed his death to Rolling Stone. A cause of death was not immediately given.
Mark J. Golding, a Jamaican politician, the Opposition Leader, and president of the People’s National Party, mourned Marley’s death on Twitter, writing, “I’ve just learned of the tragic loss of Joseph “Jo Mersa” Marley. A talented young reggae artiste, son of Stephen Marley & grandson of Bob Marley at only 31 yrs old. The loss of a child is a devastating blow no parent should face, my condolences to Stephen & the entire family.”
Marley was born in Jamaica in 1992 before moving to Miami at age 11. He was surrounded by music and as a kid, even taking the stage with his father, as well as Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers (the group comprising his uncle Ziggy and aunts Sharon and Cadella). Often, as Marley told Rolling Stone in a 2014 interview, he and his cousin Daniel Bambaata Marley (Ziggy’s son) were tasked with singing the Medley Makers’ 1989 song, “Look Who’s Dancing.”
Marley began writing his own music in middle school and released his first official song “My Girl” (a collaboration with Daniel Bambaata) in 2010. Four years later, Marley dropped his debut solo EP, Comfortable, and in 2016 he joined his father on “Revelation Party,” a song from Stephen’s album Revelation Part 2: The Fruit of Life. His most recent project, Eternal — which featured collaborations with reggae and dancehall artists like Busy Signal, Black-Am-I, and Kabaka Pyramid — arrived in 2021.
In the interview with Rolling Stone, Marley spoke about growing up in a musical environment. “It 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.”
> > > > > > > >
Click here to read the full article.
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/jo-mersa-marley-grandson-bob-232241718.html
* * * * *
OTHER NOTABLE MUSICIANS’ DEATHS
Although, for the moment, deaths from COVID-19 seem to be on the descent, we are now losing many of our famous musicians to the effects of other medical issues such as diabetes and age. And it makes us sick to our stomachs to see so many young people dying from suicide and drug overdoses. If you want to know more about any of the musicians we lost, please check them out at http://www.wikipedia.com
December 2022
29: Eduard Artemyev, 85, Russian composer (At Home Among Strangers, Solaris, Burnt by the Sun), People’s Artist of Russia (1999), complications from pneumonia; Ian Tyson, 89, Canadian singer (Ian & Sylvia) and songwriter (“Four Strong Winds”, “Someday Soon”).
28: Black Stalin, 81, Trinidadian calypso musician; Scott Nash, Australian hard rock bassist (Asteroid B-612); Linda de Suza, 74, Portuguese singer, COVID-19.
27: Brian Casser, 86, British rock and roll singer and guitarist; Jo Mersa Marley, 31, Jamaican- American musician, asthma attack; Harry Sheppard, 94, American jazz vibraphonist.
26: Alain Bernheim, 91, French classical pianist; Penda Dallé, 64, Cameroonian artist and musician; Lasse Lönndahl, 94, Swedish singer and actor (Swinging at the Castle); Alexander Shevchenko, 61, Russian singer, composer and producer (Alsou).
25: Azuquita, 76, Panamanian singer and composer; Luther Johnson, 83, American blues musician.
24: Madosini, 78, South African musician; Mampintsha, 40, South African kwaito musician (Big Nuz), stroke; Freddie Roulette, 83, American blues guitarist and singer.
23: David Dalton, 88, American violist and author; Maxi Jazz, 65, English musician (Faithless) and songwriter (“Insomnia”, “God Is a DJ”); Massimo Savic, 60, Croatian singer (Dorian Gray), lung cancer.
22: Thom Bell*, 79, Jamaican-born American songwriter (“The Rubberband Man”, “La-La (Means I Love You)”, “Mama Can’t Buy You Love”), arranger and record producer; Big Scarr, 22, American rapper, drug overdose; Walter “Wolfman” Washington, 79, American blues singer and guitarist, cancer.
*Thomas Randolph Bell (January 26, 1943 – December 22, 2022) was a Jamaican-born American record producer, arranger and songwriter known as one of the creators of Philadelphia soul in the 1970s. He is best known for his success with the Philadelphia sound in the 1970s, particularly with the Delfonics, Stylistics and Spinners. In June 2006, Bell was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2016, Bell was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thom_Bell
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_in_2022
Photo: Jo Mersa Marley
https://www.facebook.com/JoMersaMarley/
Jo Mersa Marley, Grandson of Bob Marley and Son of Stephen, Dead at 31 // Other Notable Musicians’ Deaths
