Jamal Edwards, U.K. music executive and SBTV founder, dead at 31

Jamal Edwards, a British entrepreneur whose SBTV platform provided early opportunities to a generation of U.K. musical talent, has died. He was 31. In a statement confirming the news, Edwards mother said her family were "completely devastated" at the loss of her "beautiful son" and confirmed that he had died after "a sudden illness."

In a statement, released on the official Twitter account of TV show Loose Women, on which she is a regular panellist, Brenda Edwards wrote: “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 asked 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, born in Luton and raised in Acton, west London where he began SBTV as a YouTube channel while still a teenager. The channel gave early exposure to then-unsigned artists including Ed Sheeran, Dave, J Hus, Stormzy, and more. In an Instagram story viewed by The FADER, Dave wrote simply, "We owe it all to you."

The SBTV channel, which Edwards said he started with a "£20 phone" and a camera given to him by his parents one Christmas, was established in 2006 and has 1.2 million subscribers and nearly 1bn total views.

In 2014 Edwards received an MBE for his services to music. Away from music he published a self-help book, Self Belief: The Vision: How to Be a Success on Your Own Terms, in 2013, and also made documentaries where he spoke openly about his mental health and anxiety.

Tributes to Edwards have come in from across the world of music, including messages from Idris Elba and AJ Tracey.