• Ed Sheeran credits music producer Jamal Edwards with his success in the music industry.
• Jamal died at age 31 in 2022.
• Ed has recently spoke out about his best friend in a docuseries trailer.

Ed Sheeran has made no secret of who he believes helped him rise to the top of the music industry. In a recent Disney+ trailer for his docuseries, Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All, the hitmaker said of the late Jamal Edwards, “You have to wait for one person to be, ‘that’s great,’ and for me, it was Jamal,” he said, referring to Jamal as his “best friend.”

But Ed wasn’t just a high-profile music producer — he had a fully productive and creative career, spanning from fashion to writing and even directing. Here’s what else to know about the late Jamal Edwards, Ed Sheeran’s closest friend.

Jamal was born in England.

Like Ed, Jamal was born in England. The superstar producer began his life in Luton, England, but later moved to Acton, West London, where he lived with his sister Tanisha, mom, Brenda Edwards, and stepfather, Patrick. His mother Brenda was once a contestant on The X Factor, per The U.S. Sun.

He died in Acton on February 20, 2022.

He was the founder of SBTV.

Jamal famously founded SBTV, a media platform launched in 2006 and dedicated to discovering emerging artists. Among them were Ed himself, along with Stormzy, Emeli Sandé, and Jessie J, among others. Rita Ora, Mist, and Tori Kelly also appeared at various points on SBTV.