Jamal Edwards died after taking recreational drugs, says his mother

Jamal Edwards ‘had a zest for life and he was unwittingly taken away far too soon’, his mother said. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA

The music entrepreneur and YouTube star Jamal Edwards died from arrhythmia as a result of taking recreational drugs, his mother has said.

Edwards, who helped launch the careers of Dave and Ed Sheeran, died in February aged 31. Brenda Edwards, a singer and Loose Women panellist, said in a statement on Tuesday she was in a “state of shock” after finding out how he died.