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Jamal Edwards, SBTV founder and YouTube star, dead at 31

By Kelli Dugan, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
By Kelli Dugan, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

British entertainment industry renaissance man Jamal Edwards died Sunday at the age of 31, his company confirmed.

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Edwards deejayed in London on Saturday night, and his cause of death has not been released publicly, Variety reported.

Edwards founded music platform SBTV, which helped popularize grime and launched several major musicians, the entertainment news outlet reported.

Edwards was also a director, author, DJ, entrepreneur and designer, and was awarded The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, known as an MBE, for his work in music at the age of only 24 in 2014, The Guardian reported.

The BBC confirmed Edwards’ death with his company late Sunday.

According to The Guardian, Edwards is responsible for launching the careers of some of the world’s most successful musicians, including Ed Sheeran, Dave and Jessie J, each of whom launched via SBTV before signing with major labels.

The YouTube channel, named after Edwards’ rap name SmokeyBarz, also featured early music from artists such as Stormzy, Rita Ora, Krept & Konan and Bugzy Malone, among others, the British news outlet reported.

Born in Luton in 1990, Edwards was raised in Acton, west London, and launched SBTV as a YouTube channel in 2006, “operating the platform as a youth broadcaster, before accruing a large enough audience to sign with major record labels,” Variety reported.

According to The Guardian, Edwards also served as an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust, a youth charity run by the Prince of Wales that helps young entrepreneurs get their companies running.

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Jamal Edwards Media entrepreneur Jamal Edwards holds his Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) medal, after it was awarded to him by the Britain's Prince Charles, Prince of Wales at an Investiture Ceremony, at Buckingham Palace in central London on March 26, 2015. AFP PHOTO / JOHN STILLWELL / POOL (Photo credit should read JOHN STILLWELL/AFP via Getty Images) (JOHN STILLWELL/AFP via Getty Images)

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