The grandson of Bob Marley, Jo Mersa Marley, will be laid to rest on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, in Kingston, Jamaica and his uncle Ziggy Marley paid tribute.
A few details about Jo Mersa’s funeral surfaced over the weekend. According to the Observer newspaper, the artist will be laid to rest in a private ceremony on Tuesday at the Bob Marley Museum on Hope Road in St Andrew.
The “Burn It Down” artist will be interred at Nine Miles, St. Ann. That is the same location where his grandfather, Bob Marley, was laid to rest. It’s unclear if Jo Mersa will be laid to rest near his grandfather’s mausoleum.
“The interment will be in Nine Miles, St Ann,” the source said.
Jo Mersa Marley was found dead on December 27 in his car. His cause of death has not been revealed by his family, but there are reports that he might have died from an asthma attack. The artist was discovered by police officers from the Pinecrest Police Department in Florida while his car was parked at a shopping center parking lot.
The artist leaves to mourn his daughter Sunshine, 6, and wife Qiara, who were among other Marley family members at a private all-white vigil held at the Fairchild Tropical Botanical Gardens in Coral Gables, South Florida.
Some of the attendees included his aunt Lauryn Hill and several reggae artists, including Shaggy, Tarrus Riley, Etana, and members of the Inner Circle band who had known and worked with the artist.
Jo Mersa Marley is the son of Stephen Marley and Kerry-Ann Smith, the younger sister of former Dancehall Queen Carlene Smith. The artist began following the path of his father and grandfather in 2010 with the track “My Girl” with his elder cousin Daniel Bambaata. Over the years, he released several songs, including “Burn it Down,” released in 2016, and recent tracks, “Made It” and “No Way Out,” both released in 2021.
Jo Mersa was also a frequent collaborator with his father and was featured on his 2016 album, Revelation Part 2: The Fruit of Life.
“Our beloved Joseph @JoMersaMarley, a father, brother, cousin, nephew, grand child, friend, son of Ragga
@StephenMarley JAH live itinually within all of us in our thoughts and our hearts. Fly away home lion You are missed RASTAFARI,” Ziggy Marley tweeted.
Our beloved Joseph @JoMersaMarley, a father, brother, cousin, nephew, grand child, friend, son of Ragga @StephenMarley JAH live itinually within all of us in our thoughts and our hearts. Fly away home lion ?? You are missed ? RASTAFARI pic.twitter.com/sTX2GwqxW2
— Ziggy Marley (@ziggymarley) January 3, 2023
