Fans were left heartbroken when the shock news of Jamal Edwards ' death broke on Sunday, and his passing was sadly confirmed by his family.
Mum and TV presenter Brenda Edwards, who shot to fame on The X Factor, issued an emotional statement, announcing that her beloved son had died at the age of 31.
“It is with the deepest heartache that I can confirm that my beautiful son Jamal Edwards passed away yesterday morning after a sudden illness,” she said.
“Myself, his sister Tanisha and the rest of his family and friends are completely devastated. He was the centre of our world.”
Sadly, other famous faces over the years have been handed the devastating blow of losing a child, including Bob Geldof, John Travolta and the late Kelly Preston, and Dr Dre.
John Travolta and Kelly Preston
The Hollywood couple were heartbroken when their eldest son, 16-year-old Jett, died following an accident while on holiday in the Bahamas.
Grease star John, along with his wife Kelly, and their two other children Ella and Benjamin, were left devastated when Jett suffered a seizure after hitting his head on the bathtub at their vacation home.
Jett, who had a history of seizures from the age of two, had been diagnosed with Kawasaki disease when he was 15 months old, and was also on the autism spectrum.
Sadly, that wasn’t the only tragedy to hit the Travolta family, as actress Kelly died following a battle with breast cancer in July 2020.
Bob Geldof
The musician and philanthropist shared daughter Peaches with his ex-wife Paula Yates, who had tragically died of a heroin overdose in 2000 at the age of 41.
Bob was heartbroken when Peaches, who was married and had two young boys, died in 2014, after a heroin overdose. She was 25.
“We are beyond pain. She was the wildest, funniest, cleverest, wittiest and the most bonkers of all of us,” the Boomtown Rats singer said in a statement following her death.
“We loved her and will cherish her forever.”
Bob said he helps out Peaches’ widower Thomas Cohen with the couple’s two young sons - Astala, seven, and Phaedra, six - and described his grandsons as “beyond stupidly cute”.
In 2020, he spoke of the overwhelming grief he feels when he thinks about his late daughter,
“I'll be at the traffic lights and I start to weep and I think, 'You're weeping'. And I say, 'Let it go. Let it happen.' Then I begin to sob, racked sobs. I weep then I sob,” he told Event magazine.
Regina King
In January this year, the Oscar-winning actress was rocked by the sudden death of her only son Ian Alexander Jr., at the age of just 26.
Regina issued a heart wrenching statement when news broke of her son’s passing, which was officially ruled as a suicide by a coroner.
“Our family is devastated at the deepest level by the loss of Ian. He is such a bright light who cared so deeply about the happiness of others. Our family asks for respectful consideration during this private time. Thank you,” she said.
Regina shared her son with ex-husband record producer Ian Alexander Sr., and the mother-son duo often appeared at red carpet events together.
“You don't know what unconditional love is. You may say you do, but if you don't have a child, you don't know what that is,” she previously said of her unbreakable bond with her son.
Dr. Dre
The hip-hop icon suffered a tragic loss in August 2008, when his 20-year-old son Andre Young Jr. was found dead inside his home in California.
Andre died from an overdose of heroin and morphine, and was found by his mother, Jenita Porter, in his bed, but paramedics were unable to revive him, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Dr Dre is mourning the loss of his son Andre Young Jr. Please respect his family's grief and privacy at this time,” a rep for the rapper said in a statement.
The Still Dre hitmaker has never spoken about the loss of his son.
Nick Cannon
Back in December, the TV star, actor and musician announced the sad news that his five-month-old baby son, Zen, had passed away after a brave battle with brain cancer.
Nick and model Alyssa Scott mourned the loss of their baby boy, who had been diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer just weeks after he was born.
“My heart is shattered. I wish I could have done more, spent more time with him, taken more pictures. I wish I could have hugged him longer,” he said in a statement.
“It was a privilege being Zen's mommy. It's so beautiful and encouraging to see even complete strangers being touched and moved by Zen's light,” model Alyssa shared.
Sinead O’Connor
The Nothing Compares 2 U singer announced the death of her 17 year-old son Shane earlier this month, and shared the news in a heartbreaking post on social media.
“My beautiful son, Nevi’im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God,” Sinead tweeted.
“May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace.”
The teenager was found dead after he went missing from hospital, and Sinead told her fans Shane had planned his funeral a month before tragically taking his own life.
The singer, who shared her son with musician Donal Lunny, 74, recently vowed to never sing live again following her heartbreaking loss.
Marie Osmond
In 2010, the singer and TV star was left reeling following the sad news her 18-year-old son Michael Blosil had taken his own life.
The teenager was one of Marie and husband Brian’s eight children, and in 2007, Michael entered rehab for undisclosed reasons.
The former Osmonds star opened up on her son’s tragic death during an interview with Oprah Winfrey almost 10 years after her son passed away, and said Michael was suffering from depression because he was being bullied.
She said her son was “bullied very heavily” until he took his own life, and said he was targeted “because of his sobriety.”
Eric Clapton
The iconic rocker was dealt a devastating blow in 1991, when his four-year-old son Conor Clapton died in a horrifying accident.
Eric shared the youngster with Italian actress Lory del Santo, and his son was being cared for by a nanny while in his mother’s 53rd floor apartment in Manhattan.
Conor fell to his death from a window in the apartment, leaving his parents utterly heartbroken over the senseless tragedy.
To deal with his grief, Eric penned the hit song Tears In Heaven, which features the emotional lyrics: “Would you hold my hand? If I saw you in heaven?”
The musician described his son Conor as “the one thing in my life that good could come out of”, and became sober when he was born.
“When he was born, I was drinking, and he was really the chief reason that I went back to treatment, because I really did love this boy,” Eric said during an interview on US show 60 Minutes in 1999.
