Pop star Ed Sheeran breaks silence to pay tribute to 'brother' Jamal Edwards, who died aged 31
Pop star Ed Sheeran has posted a touching tribute to his friend Jamal Edwards, describing the music producer and entrepreneur as a "brother" whose "light shone so bright".
Edwards' death at the age of 31 was confirmed on Monday after a short illness, his family said.
He was widely credited with having played a key role in launching the mainstream careers of stars including Sheeran, Dave and Stormzy, through his YouTube channel.
Posting on Instagram, Sheeran said he had taken several days to find the right words, but described Edwards as a star whose "light shines for millions of years after they go".
"I haven't posted anything coz I can't find the words, I can't reply coz I don't know what to say," he wrote.
"Jamal is my brother. His light shone so bright. He only used it to illuminate others and never asked for anything in return.
"A star’s light shines for millions of years after they go and his will continue to light up every dark moment. We are all witnessing his power.
He added: "I would not be here without him, professionally and personally.
"There will never be anything close to what he is, but I'm so grateful to have existed within his orbit. My brother, come on."
Sheeran's tribute comes after stars of the music and film worlds paid their respects to Edwards.
He gained fame from setting up new music platform SBTV - helping to launch a string of UK music careers including Dave, Ed Sheeran and Jessie J.
The entrepreneur was awarded an MBE in 2014 - when he was 24 – for his services to music.
Singer Rita Ora said earlier this week in an Instagram post that she was devastated at the news, writing: “My first ever interview was with you. Jamal, our endless talks on music and the belief you had in me and so many of us before we even believed in ourselves. I’m devastated."
Adding to the tributes, actor Idris Elba posted a black square on Instagram and wrote: “We lost one @jamaledwards You will be missed little brother.”