Jamal Edwards Dead: YouTube Sensation’s Mom Confirms ‘Sudden’ Passing From Undisclosed Illness

YouTube sensation and pioneering artist of the U.K.’s “grime” music genre Jamal Edwards died over the weekend. He was 31.

Edwards, a trailblazing figure in the British music scene, died following an undisclosed illness. His mother, “Loose Women” host Brenda Edwards, confirmed his passing Sunday, describing it as “sudden,” the New York Post reported.

“It is with the deepest heartache that I confirm that my beautiful son Jamal Edwards passed away yesterday morning after a sudden illness,” Brenda said in a statement published by the popular U.K. daytime show on Twitter Monday.

“Myself, his sister Tanisha and the rest of his family and friends are completely devastated. He was the center of our world,” the statement continued.

Brenda went on to ask fans and the general public to give her and her family privacy as they “grieve this unimaginable loss.” She also thanked everyone for their messages of love and support.

Jamal entered the music scene at the age of 15 after receiving a video camera from his parents as a Christmas present. In 2006, he launched his SBTV (SmokeyBarz TV) YouTube channel that served as a platform to showcase and give exposure to emerging artists.

SBTV built a huge following online in the years that followed. It also helped launch the careers of now-famous singers and musicians like Jessie J, Ed Sheeran, Dave and Skepta, as per CNN.

The channel currently has more than 1.23 million subscribers and has accumulated almost 1 billion total views. It still features and puts the spotlight on budding music artists.

Speaking of his endeavor to give exposure to new artists through his YouTube channel, Jamal shared with BBC Radio 1Xtra in 2017 the moment when he realized what he could do to help aspiring musicians in his area.

“I remember I was just sitting there and was thinking, 'Why can't I find these online?' and if they were online it was just bad-quality versions, so I thought 'Alright, cool, I'm going to try and film people in my area and upload it to YouTube.' And from there it just started building and growing,” he said.

Jamal was born in Luton, but he moved to Acton, west London. He was appointed an MBE for his services to music in 2014. One of his last public appearances was when he attended the Brit Awards earlier this month, according to the BBC.