Loose Women presenter Charlene White has criticised the way in which the death of Jamal Edwards, the son of her co-star Brenda Edwards, was announced.
News of Jamal’s death first surfaced on social media on Sunday (20 February), with Brenda releasing a statement via Good Morning Britain on Monday morning. She confirmed that he had died after “a short illness”.
Edwards, who was 31, founded the online music platform SBTV when he was just 15, and helped launch the careers of artists including Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Jessie J and Dave. He was awarded an MBE in 2014 for services to music.
At the start of Monday’s episode of Loose Women, White said: “The opportunity to share Brenda’s loss and the family’s loss was taken away from Brenda because of various people on social media who decided to tell Brenda’s story and Jamal’s story without consulting Brenda, which was not fair in any shape or form.”
White continued: “We understand a lot of Jamal’s incredible work was done through social media – he is a powerhouse, he changed the UK music scene in a way that we’ve not seen for generations – but what people have to understand is there is work life and there is family life and there is home life.
“It should have been Brenda who was able to choose when the world knew about her loss and that was taken away from her,” White said.
White and co-host Judi Love said they spent Sunday evening with Brenda after discovering the news.
Love stated: “I think people see us on Loose Women and see us on stage together, but it’s so much bigger than that. If I’m honest, I don’t want to be here doing this. I don’t want to have to do this, but we have to.”
Previewing the episode during This Morning, White said that Brenda “wants us to give her a smile and a laugh as only her loose ladies can”. She later revealed that Brenda said she would be watching for home and said she hoped the panellists had “done her proud”.
The panelists also remembered having Jamal on as a guest a few months back, and showed some footage from his interview.
After reports of Edward’s death surfaced on social media, the news was confirmed by his manager.
Following the confirmation, tributes poured in from figures in the entertainment industry and beyond.
