Music producer Jamal Edwards ‘penniless’ when he died

Jamal Edwards death
Jamal Edwards was made a Member of the British Empire (MBE) in 2015
PA

Music mogul Jamal Edwards did not leave behind a fortune when he died from a heart attack after taking cocaine and drinking alcohol, it has been revealed.

The 31-year-old entrepreneur who helped to launch the careers of superstars including Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, and Jessie J collapsed and died at his home in Acton, west London in February this year.

The YouTube star was the founder of online music platform SBTV, and reports at the time of his death suggested he had amassed a fortune of up to £350 million.

However official Probate Office records show the music entrepreneur had an estate worth £45,502 which was wiped out by unpaid debts after his death.

Mr Edwards has signed a will in February 2020, promising his estate to members of his family and creating a trust fund for the distribution of funds.

Ed Sheeran and Jamal Edwards were close friends (Hannah McKay/PA)
PA Wire

The DJ and rapper was an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust and in 2014 was made an MBE for his services to music.

He was regarded as one of the most influential figures in British music, and is set to be recognised for his outstanding contribution at next month’s Music Industry Trusts Awards.

At an inquest in June, it was revealed Mr Edwards had taken cocaine and had traces of MDMA in his system when he died, after returning home “agitated” from a night of DJing.

His mother, singer and Loose Women star Brenda Edwards, said afterwards there should be more awareness of the effects of recreational drug use.

Brenda Edwards (left) mother of the late Jamal Edwards and his sister Tanisha Artman at the inaugural fundraising event for the Jamal Edwards Self Belief Trust (JESB), at HERE at the Outernet in central London. Music entrepreneur Edwards, who received an MBE for his services to music in 2014, died on February 20 this year at the age of 31. (Beresford Hodge/PA)
PA Wire

“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”, she wrote on Instagram.

“Jamal had the world at his fingertips – a zest for life and he was unwittingly taken away far too soon.

Jamal Edwards - In pictures

The Launch Dinner Of Allegra At The Stratford
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“Yet we have to come to terms with what has 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.”

Last month, a star-studded charity gala was held to raise funds for the Jamal Edwards Trust, with Lewis Capaldi, Jessie Ware, and Ed Sheeran among the performers.

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