The cause of death for Bob Marley’s grandson and son of musician Stephen Marley. Joseph ‘Mersa’ Marley, has been revealed.
According to documents from the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office obtained by Rolling Stone, Joseph died of ‘acute asthma exacerbation’ after being infected by a common cold virus.
Joseph, who himself was also a musician, had a history of asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia, and it’s said he was not taking his asthma medication at the time of his death, Metro reports.
In March 2022, the outlet adds, he visited a hospital in Florida to receive treatment for a chest abscess.
The Medical Examiner’s Office also found that Joseph had a history of smoking and had ‘enlarged glottic tonsils’ in addition to black discoloration in his lungs.
A toxicology report was conducted and found he had the presence of THC — the chemical in marijuana — in his system as well as naloxone and 0.08% of ethanol.
The report noted: ‘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.’
The musician was found unresponsive in a vehicle in Florida on December 26, 2022 and later pronounced dead at the age of 31.
In 2014, Joseph released his debut EP Comfortable featuring six songs and guest appearances from reggae musicians Wayne Marshall and Jemere Morgan.
His second album, Eternal, was released in 2021 and featured the likes of Busy Signal and Melii.
As well as collaborating with his father Stephen, Joseph appeared on the Grammy-winning album Strictly Roots by Morgan Heritage.
