Jamal Edwards did so much good in the world

This is a comment piece by Jane Moore

THE first thing I remember about Jamal Edwards is his smile. It lit up the room.

The second thing I remember is his humility. He was tall and of solid build but he could blend into the background with ease, always standing back in the promotion of others.

On Sunday, Jamal, who was 31, died of a heart attack and leaves behind his grieving mother Brenda – my fellow Loose Women panellist – and younger sister Tanisha.

Their pain is unconscionable and there are no words I can write to change that.

But I want to pay tribute to Jamal, not just because he’s my friend’s son and I knew him but because he did so much good in the world, often with little or no fanfare.

He was a social “influencer” in the very best of ways and if we were all even half the person he was, the world would be much a kinder place.

For those who don’t know, Jamal started YouTube channel SBTV after Brenda bought him a video camera as a present when he was 15.

He started out giving a platform to young British artists such as Ed Sheeran, Emeli Sande, Stormzy, Dave and Jessie J, and the channel has racked up two billion hits while continuing to champion talent that doesn’t have a platform.

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