Good Morning Britain stars have paid tribute to ‘pioneering figure’ Jamal Edwards following the news of his tragic death aged 31.
The YouTube star and son of Loose Women star Brenda Edwards sadly passed away on Sunday.
He gained fame after setting up the new music platform SBTV, which helped to launch a string of UK music careers including Dave, Ed Sheeran, and Jessie J.
GMB’s Noel Phillips remembered Edwards’ legacy on Monday’s programme, telling audiences: “He was a pioneering figure in Black British culture and music in particular and hip hop, a trailblazer in fact.”
“This is a man who came up in a musical household and used that passion for music to give artists and so many young people a platform which they never had.
“And let’s not forget, these are artists who would never get played on mainstream radio, but Jamal launched SBTV.”
Presenter Susanna Reid added: “He changed the musical landscape by doing that.”
She continued: “Social media was awash with tributes last night.
“He was a hugely influential figure and obviously, we send our huge love to Brenda and to his family and to everyone affected.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Co-hist Richard Madeley added: “Absolutely. 31 is terribly young.”
Other famous faces from the world of showbiz have remembered Jamal on social media.
Loose Women star Denise Welch said: “My heart aches for my friend Brenda. I can’t bear it. Jamal Edwards was a wonderful son and brother.”
BAFTA award-winning actor Adam Deacon, known for his leading role in Kidulthood, said he was “heartbroken” about Edwards’ death.
(Image: Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Jamal 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, west London.
Previously speaking to PA after being made an MBE, Jamal said he started SBTV to give his friends a platform.
He added: ‘It was a frustration of going to school and everyone talking about “how do we get our videos on MTV?”.
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“YouTube was like a year old. I was like ‘I’ve got a camera for Christmas, I’m going to start filming people and uploading it’.
‘Everyone was looking at me like ‘What are you doing, like you can compete with these major corporations’, but I think I was early enough to believe that I could make a change.”
Good Morning Britain airs weekdays on ITV at 6am
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
