Jamal Edwards, 'inspirational' entrepreneur and author dies, aged 31

British entrepreneur, YouTube star and author Jamal Edwards has died at the age of 31. 

His death occurred on Sunday morning (21st February), the BBC reported. 

Edwards was the founder of SBTV, an online urban music platform which launched the careers of various artists. He became known as a major figure in British rap and grime music and also helped many charitable causes, including acting as an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust. 

He wrote Self Belief: The Vision: How to Be a Success on Your Own Terms which was published by Ebury’s Virgin Books imprint in 2013. The book has six levels to help readers achieve their aims with each featuring a foreword by one of Edwards’ friends or mentors, including figures such as Richard Branson, Jessie J and Idris Elba.

Andrew Goodfellow, publisher at Ebury, told The Bookseller: "Those of us at Ebury who remember Jamal were shocked and saddened by the news. He was a truly inspiring entrepreneur that knew no boundaries and had such winning energy. At a time when we were still finding our way with online talent he showed the path forward, driving us on in ground-breaking ways. We are deeply sorry for his family’s loss."

Crystal Mahey-Morgan, of OWN IT!, was friends with Edwards and worked with him on his book when she was at Penguin Random House, accompanying him on his nationwide book tour. She told The Bookseller: "Jamal has always been a visionary. Always created spaces where previously there was none. Always cared about and seen the potential in audiences when others would write them off, and always cared deeply about his culture and community. I saw this first hand when working together on his book Self Belief: The Vision.

"We talked for hours about how exciting it was to bring new readers to books. About how frustrating it was that the publishing industry looked down on him, his work and his audience and how he was going to be the change he wanted to see. He was the change. He changed so much in so many ways. I was lucky to have him in my life. No matter how busy he was, he was always on the end of the phone and ready to support. Just a couple of weeks ago he text me about an idea for a book. Because that was Jamal, always a bright spark full of ideas. I’ll miss him so much."

Many have paid tribute to Edwards on Twitter. Dialogue Books publisher Sharmaine Lovegrove tweeted: “The power of this loss cannot be underestimated. The power of Jamal’s inspiration and legacy is limitless.” 

Merky Books also tweeted in tribute, using one of Edwards’ quotes: “You never know what you might create, or the change you might inspire.” 

Author and comedian London Hughes wrote: “He filmed my first ever comedy skit, he gave my comedy a platform on his channel SBTV, he got me into my first ever MOBO Afterparty, I got him drunk on way too many occasions, he laughed the hardest at my jokes, he believed in me, I believed in him.”