Jamal Edwards died after taking recreational drugs, his mother says
The 31-year-old passed away in February.
By Nick Reilly
Jamal Edwards died as a result of taking recreational drugs, his mother has claimed.
The hugely influential SB.TV founder suffered a cardiac arrest at home in Acton, West London last February and passed away while holding the hand of his mother, Brenda.
In a message posted to social media today (June 7), Loose Women and West End star Brenda claimed that the 31-year-old’s death was the result of him taking recreational drugs.
She wrote: “Since I last spoke I have sadly learned that the cause of Jamal’s devastating passing was due to a cardiac arrhythmia caused by having taken recreational drugs and I wanted to address this myself to everyone who loved, admired and respected my son.”
In a stark warning, Brenda said that “these types of substances are unpredictable” and cautioned that “just one bad reaction” can “destroy lives”.
She went on: “Since finding out the news I’ve been in a state of shock… it’s so important that we drive more conversation about the unpredictability of recreational drugs.
“Jamal is proof that this can happen to anyone. His passing has shown that one bad decision on any one occasion can lead to devastating consequences.”
It comes after the inquest into the star’s death opened this week. In her opening remarks, Coroner Catherine Wood said that Jamal “came home late one evening after work and he became increasingly agitated and suffered a cardiac arrest, and was deteriorating despite treatment.”
Wood went on to explain that a post-mortem examination caused her to have “reason to suspect the death is an unnatural death”. The inquest is expected to resume in eight weeks.
Edwards launched SB.TV in 2006 when he was just 15-years-old, after receiving a video camera as a Christmas present from his parents,.
The site and YouTube channel, its title an abbreviation of SmokeyBarz, soon developed a reputation for hosting sessions and performances from a wide array of the UK’s hottest upcoming acts. A 2010 rendition of ‘You Need Me, I Don’t Need You’ from a pre global fame Ed Sheeran is considered to be a formative moment in the singer’s career and boasts 11 million views on YouTube.
Edwards was appointed an MBE for services to music in 2014 and became an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, a youth charity established by the Prince of Wales to help young people follow their own business dreams.
Leading tributes in the wake of his death, Sheeran wrote: “I haven’t posted anything coz I can’t find the words, I can’t reply coz I don’t know what to say. Jamal is my brother. His light shone so bright. He only used it to illuminate others and never asked for anything in return.”