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REGGAE MUSICIAN JOSEPH “Jo Mersa” Marley, Bob Marley’s grandson and Stephen Marley’s son, has died aged 31.
His representative confirmed his death to Rolling Stone but the cause was not disclosed.
Born in Jamaica and raised in Miami, Marley followed in his family’s musical footsteps, taking the stage with his family’s band, Ziggy Marley And The Melody Makers.
He began writing music when 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 Bambaata Marley.
In 2016, he collaborated on a song with his father for the latter’s album Revelation Part 2: The Fruit Of Life.
Marley grew up with his musician father and surrounded by Bob Marley’s other children, including uncle Ziggy and aunts Sharon and Cadella.
Jo Mersa Marley spoke of how music enveloped his upbringing in a previous interview with Rolling Stone.
“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,” he said.
He was intent on creating his own path and released his debut album Eternal in 2021. He had studied studio engineering at Miami Dade College.
“I am one of the new generation of Marleys but I am still experimenting at the same time,” he told Rolling Stone. “My plan is to do something new with my roots.”
News of Marley’s death led to tributes on social media, including a post from Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
“My heartfelt sympathies to Joseph’s friends and associates and to the Reggae music fraternity and fans everywhere,” Mr Holness tweeted. “His untimely passing at the young age of 31 is a huge loss to the music as we look to the next generation.”
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Build to rent that’s all we hear now whatever happened to rental purchase so giving people responsibility and some pride for their homes hopefully
The locals here will tell you that there is a lot of evidence that SOME people are gaming the system and behaving in ways that are evident they are most certainly not in the ‘ desperately homeless and in need ‘ situations that we come to think of when providing ‘emergency accommodation for people’ – in these politically correct times seemingly if you even comment on this theres a mob wanting to pounce – the millions and millions we are spending on hotel accomodations for SOME is NOT appropriate solution and needs to be addressed. The homeless crisis heading into winter is still a problem and the Govt need to spend more of the money building real property / solutions. The level of abusing the system is getting out of control and of people knew the full scale of how their hard earned income taxes they pay are being wasted and abused it would a national scandal.
@Dave Hammond: Do you know the process that you have to go through to declared as homeless.
People have played all systems for years and there is nothing new about that.
Look at the tax system and the people avoiding paying their due.
Met my future wife there at “Shanks disco” 45 years ago when it was called the Croft’s Airport hotel. Stayed there a few times since.
@Irish big fellow: Tried to leave her back, eh ?
@Irish big fellow: with her or another?
@Irish big fellow Where you a Lifeguard ?? The pool was the dance floor !
@Ciaran Dunne: Shanks Disco @ The Crofton Airport Hotel in the 70s…my brother met his missus there too!…and yes – the dig-out for the dance floor was the proposed hotel swimming pool…I guess the disco was a more luctative outcome than a leisure centre!
@Irish big fellow: Did you go to the fleadh cheoil that night?
Are the “operational reasons” due to an increased demand for emergency housing?
Sounds vague and suspicious!
have your say