Brenda Edwards has shared an emotional statement reflecting on the loss of her son Jamal, after discovering his cause of death.
Jamal, best known for his work in the music industry as the founder of SB.TV, died in February, at the age of 31.
On Tuesday morning, Brenda posted a lengthy statement on her Instagram page, in which she confirmed that Jamal had died after suffering “cardiac arrhythmia caused by having taken recreational drugs”.
The Loose Women panellist began her statement by thanking “each and every one of you who has reached out, sent messages and been there for me and my family since Jamal passed away”.
“We have been incredibly touched by the outpouring of love and support, and you are all helping us try and get through the unimaginable,” she wrote.
“Since I last spoke, I have sadly learned that the cause of Jamal’s devastating passing was due to cardiac arrhythmia caused by having taken recreational drugs, and I wanted to address this myself to everyone who loved, admired and respected my son.
“Since finding out the news, I’ve been in a state of shock, and I’m still trying to process it, but it’s so important to me that I do address it as no mother or any loved one should have to go through what Jamal’s sister, Tanisha, and I have been through since he passed.”
Brenda continued: “Jamal had the world at his fingertips – a zest for life and he was unwittingly taken away far too soon. Yet we have to come to terms with what happened, and Jamal is proof that this can happen to anyone.
“These types of substances are extremely unpredictable, and we can only hope that this will encourage others to think wisely when faced with similar situations in the future. His passing has shown that any one bad decision on any one occasion can lead to devastating consequences.
“It’s so important that we help drive more conversation about the unpredictability of recreational drugs and the impact that they can have. How it just takes one bad reaction to destroy lives. I would do anything to have my son back but that is just not possible, so if I can help save one life, then we will have achieved something.”
The former X Factor star also spoke about her hopes to continue her son’s legacy with the launch of The Jamal Edwards Self Belief Trust, which she said would “help those in need, placing a special emphasis on the mental wellbeing of its service users”.
“Out of his many, many wonderful qualities the one that made me most proud was his mission to help others – he was the most selfless person I knew,” Brenda wrote.
“He opened the doors to let others walk through and from Jamal’s experiences in life he just wanted to help people thrive; to live; to connect; to love; to laugh, and most importantly, to just be happy.
“Jamal inspired so many – working tirelessly to unite and give a platform to countless people and communities across the UK, and something I know for certain is that the impact he had on those lives will live on. I’m so incredibly proud of everything we achieved over the course of his 31 years; I’m so proud to call him my son.
“That’s why, with the recently launched Jamal Edwards Self Belief Trust, we will continue to not only honour his name but help those in need, placing a special emphasis on the mental wellbeing of its service users.
“The Trust is in place to help provide a sense of community for young people, offering a safe space of their own to help develop their skills and explore who they are. Through that we will continue to preserve Jamal’s incredible legacy by continuing the positive change he had on the lives of so many.”
She added: “In Jamal’s own words, ‘the goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will’. My beautiful son, you did that and then some.”
Jamal was still a teenager when he set up SB.TV, the youth broadcasting and production film channel, which would go on to help launch the careers of acts including Stormzy, N-Dubz, Rita Ora and Ed Sheeran.
Speaking to PA after being made an MBE in 2015, he said he started SB.TV to give his friends a platform.
“Everyone was looking at me like ‘what are you doing, like you can compete with these major corporations’,” he said. “But I think I was early enough to believe that I could make a change.”
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