British Music Entrepreneur Jamal Edwards Died of Heart Attack After Using Cocaine and Drinking Alcohol

FILE – Jamal Edwards holds his Member of the British Empire (MBE) after it was awarded to him by the Prince of Wales at an Investiture Ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London on March 26, 2015. Music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards, who helped launch the careers of artists including Ed Sheeran, Jessie J and Stormzy, has died. He was 31. His mother, broadcaster Brenda Edwards, said Monday, Feb. 21, 2022 that her son died the day before after a sudden illness. She said the family was “completely devastated,” and tributes poured in from across Britain’s entertainment industry. (John Stillwell/PA via AP, File)

The music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards died from a heart attack after taking cocaine and drinking alcohol, a coroner has concluded.

Edwards, a YouTube star who helped launch the careers of Ed Sheeran, Dave and Skepta, died in February aged 31.

An inquest held at the west London coroner’s court on Tuesday concluded that the cause of death was drug-related.

The assistant coroner, Ivor Collett, said there was evidence of cocaine toxicity in Edwards’ body, as well as the presence of alcohol, which probably caused his death after he returned home from performing a DJ set in Islington in the early hours of 20 February.

The coroner’s reported added: “After drinking some alcohol with a friend, his behaviour changed and became erratic and he appeared paranoid, before he collapsed and became unconscious. Attempts at resuscitation failed and life was declared extinct at 10.36.”

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SOURCE: The Guardian, David Batty