Jo Mersa Marley Dies of Acute Asthma Exacerbation.
Jo Mersa Marley, the grandson of reggae icon Bob Marley, died of "acute asthma exacerbation" after being infected by a common cold virus. The 31-year-old had a history of asthma, bronchitis, and pneumonia and had not been taking his asthma medication at the time of his death. Marley's body showed no signs of injury, though his lung had evidence of congestion, hyper-expansion, and increased mucus in its airwaves, along with black discoloration resulting from smoking. A toxicology report found THC, the chemical in marijuana, as well as naloxone and 0.08% of ethanol in Marley's system at the time of his death.