Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Susan Knox

Maya Jama pays heartfelt tribute to late Jamal Edwards on his 32nd birthday

Maya Jama was one of many celebrities to pay tribute to late music producer Jamal Edwards on what would have been his 32nd birthday.

Jamal died at the age of just 31 after he collapsed and died at his west London home in February.

Earlier this month, a coroner ruled his tragic death was as a result of a heart attack brought on by alcohol and cocaine.

The talented entrepreneur founded music platform SBTV, which helped launch the careers of huge star such as Ed Sheeran, Rita Ora, Stormzy, Jessie J and Dave. He was awarded an MBE for services to music in 2014 at the age of just 24 and was an ambassador for the Prince’s Trust.

As his devastated mum and Loose Women star Brenda Edwards marked the first time she celebrated her beloved son's birthday with him gone, stars paid tribute to Jamal - with Maya Jama gushing over his amazing talents.

Jamal would have turned 32 today (Dave Benett/Getty Images for Netflix)
Maya took to Instagram to pay tribute to Jamal (Instagram)

Alongside a throwback video of Jamal at the start of his music career, TV presenter Maya, 28, called the late star a 'young legend'.

"Happy birthday young legend," she penned alongside a string of heart emojis.

Her heartfelt post comes after Jamal's grieving mother Brenda, 53, decided to mark on what would be his 32nd birthday on August 24, a concert in his honour.

The event was held in Greenwich, south east London and will saw musicians such as Ed Sheeran, Big Narstie and Fluer East taking to the stage, with all the proceeds from the ticket sales going to the Jamal Edwards Self Belief Foundation.

Maya was good friends with Jamal (Instagram/@mayajama)
Jamal died at the age of 31 in February (Anthony Harvey/REX/Shutterstock)

Speaking to The Sun ahead of the event, Brenda said Ed Sheeran has been a rock to her family since the passing of Jamal.

"Ed is a beautiful soul. He is an amazing, phenomenal talent. I love him and his whole family to the bone. We are close, the families are close, and he has been there and offered me support," she gushed.

"He is there playing to millions on tour but he is still concerned and worried about me. It warms my heart and touches my heart how so many people have come together to support us through something that is very upsetting and is still very raw."

An inquest heard that on the night of Jamal's death he returned to his home in Acton around 4am after playing a DJ set in north London. He then sat up drinking with his friend Nick Hopper, who was living in an annex of the house at the time.

Mr Hopper said that after a while Jamal became erratic and paranoid and started throwing things around before collapsing.

Despite the best efforts of Mr Hopper and later his uncle, Rodney Artman, as well as paramedics, Jamal didn’t wake up and was declared dead at 10.36am on Sunday February 20. Toxicology tests found cocaine and alcohol in his system.

Coroner Ivor Collett said: "Jamal had taken cocaine in sufficient quantity to cause an adverse reaction brought about by cocaine toxicity. This then caused cardiac arrhythmia which resulted in his death."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.