Six months since he passed away, a coroner’s report has confirmed the cause of death of Bob Marley’s grandson, Jo Mersa Marley.
The son of Stephen Marley and grandson of reggae legend Bob Marley, Jo Mersa, was found dead in his car last December. He was just 31 years old. According to his autopsy, Marley had suffered from a common cold at the time of death. It seems that the cold exacerbated his asthma, as his official cause of death was “acute asthma exacerbation.”
The singer died on December 26, 2022, the report confirmed. Jo Mersa’s body was found by Police, who were called to a local Ross store in Miami- Dade County, Florida, around 10 p.m. on Boxing Night 2022. The young reggae artist was found unconscious inside his vehicle, but paramedics were unable to save him as he had already passed away.
According to the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office, the late father of one had been infected with rhinovirus or enterovirus, which comes with a regular cold virus.
According to the report from Rolling Stone, Jo Mersa presented with a history of asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia. At the time of his death, he was not regularly taking his medication for asthma.
The report also said that Jo Mersa had compromised immunity which was brought on by a chest abscess he was recovering from after receiving treatment months before his death.
Further, the coroner’s report also said family members confirmed that Jo Mersa spoke to his mother the day before his death, where he revealed that his asthma had caused him to feel unwell.
At the time of death, the coroner’s report found that the deceased’s lungs were discolored from smoking which might have aggravated his asthma, but that was not ultimately the reason he died.
“An acute asthma exacerbation due to viral illness is a common occurrence and considered a non-allergic event. Additionally, chronic smoking of combustible products such as tobacco or marijuana is dangerous in a person with asthma.”
Marley also had THC from marijuana, naloxone (used to reverse an overdose by opioids), and a small amount of ethanol in his bloodstream. It’s unclear why naloxone would be in his bloodstream or if someone else had admitted it, but Marley was found alone in the car, and Police have ruled out foul play in his death.
Jo Mersa leaves to mourn his wife and daughter.
