Ed Sheeran took a moment during a concert to honour his late friend Jamal Edwards MBE, describing him as his ‘best friend and brother’ and emphasising how the music pioneer ‘changed his life’.
Last month, it was announced that Edwards, who founded online music channel SBTV at the age of 15, had died at the age of 31.
Tributes poured in from fans and stars who crossed paths with the music mogul in the industry, with many remembering how he helped launch the careers of artists including Sheeran, who wrote in a heart-wrenching tribute: ‘I’m so grateful to have existed within his orbit.’
On Sunday evening, the Shape Of You singer performed at the Royal Albert Hall in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust, with the musician delivering a stripped down set consisting predominantly of him by himself on stage with his guitar and a loop pedal, with the exception of two songs where he was accompanied by a pianist.
After leaving the stage near the end of the performance, the 31-year-old returned to sing three more songs for the encore, the final one being his 2011 hit You Need Me, I Don’t Need You.
As he introduced the track, he told the audience: ‘We lost a really, really amazing soul just over a month ago, Jamal Edwards.
‘He was my best friend, he was my brother. He changed my life.’
Recalling how he was featured on SBTV’s YouTube channel, where he performed the song live at the time of its release, he added: ‘The song that I’m going to play is a song that he put onto his channel and this song opened up every single door for me, and I just want to say that this one’s for him. My brother.’
He then delivered an energetic rendition of the song, which was included on his first studio album, +, and peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart.
At one point in the performance, Sheeran took his guitar off so he could rap freely on the stage, as the audience in London’s Royal Albert Hall sang along with him.
Following Edwards’ death, Sheeran shared a throwback photo of them together on Instagram, writing in the caption: ‘I haven’t posted anything coz I can’t find the words, I can’t reply coz I don’t know what to say.
‘Jamal is my brother. His light shone so bright. He only used it to illuminate others and never asked for anything in return.’
Sheeran outlined how a star’s light ‘shines for millions of years after they go’, saying that Edwards’ ‘will continue to light up every dark moment’.
‘I would not be here without him, professionally and personally. There will never be anything close to what he is, but I’m so grateful to have existed within his orbit,’ he said.
On Sunday, Edwards’ mother, Loose Women star Brenda Edwards, shared a series of family photos in honour of her son on Mother’s Day.
‘Always and Forever. 💙,’ she captioned the post.
The post showed pictures of Edwards from his early childhood to adulthood, with the images also featuring his sister, Tanisha.
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