TRIBUTES TO STAR
Jamal Edwards: Hundreds attend vigil held for music mogul after sudden death aged 31
HUNDREDS packed onto the streets of West London today to pay tribute to music mogul Jamal Edwards following his sudden death.
The star passed away on Sunday at the age of 31 after suffering a heart attack, his pals say.
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Today, hundreds attended a vigil on Acton High Street as pictures showed candles lit in his memory surrounded by flowers and cards.
The music entrepreneur gained fame after setting up the new music platform in 2006, and was credited with helping to launch a string of UK music acts to stardom, including Ed Sheeran, Dave and Jessie J.
According to his friends, his mum found him in his bedroom at the home they shared in West London and phoned an ambulance.
A pal who attended Acton High School with him told the : "The details are still not clear but we've been told that it was a heart attack.
"He was out DJing on Saturday night and eventually got home in the early hours of Sunday morning.
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"The family are still trying to come to terms with it all, but we've heard that his mum found him in his bedroom and called an ambulance."
It comes after Jamal's heartbroken mum Brenda Edwards broke her silence on the devastating news in a statement – expressing her “deepest heartache” as she revealed her son died from a "sudden illness".
Loose Women star Brenda, 52, said: “It is with the deepest heartache that I confirm that my beautiful son Jamal Edwards passed away yesterday morning after a sudden illness. Myself, his sister Tanisha and the rest of his family and friends are completely devastated.
“He was the centre of our world. As we come to terms with his passing we ask for privacy to grieve this unimaginable loss.
“I would like to thank everyone for their messages of love and support. Jamal was an inspiration to myself and so many.
“Our love for him lives on, his legacy lives on. Long live Jamal Edwards MBE, MBA, PHD."
Edwards was a teenager when he launched the youth broadcasting and production film channel SBTV to upload clips he had recorded of his friends performing on the estate where he lived in Acton.
By 2014, he had amassed an estimated fortune of around £8 million and worked with the likes of Jessie J and Ed Sheeran.
He was also an ambassador for the Prince's Trust, a charity headed by the Prince of Wales, and in 2014 he was awarded an MBE for his services to music.
A tweet from the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall's Clarence House Twitter account said: "Thinking of the family of Jamal Edwards today. His work in music but also as an ambassador for a new generation, including his work for The Prince's Trust, were an inspiration to so many."
Former prime minister David Cameron, now chairman of the National Citizen Service's Board of Patrons, tweeted: "My thoughts & prayers are with the family of Jamal Edwards MBE.
"He was a great friend to @NCS & a valued Patron, supporting & inspiring young people to be the best they could be, leading from the front & showing what's possible with hard work & determination.
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