Ed Sheeran is mourning the death of his friend Jamal Edwards, who passed away at age 31 on Sunday. The "Shivers" singer reached out to fans to explain why he had been silent on social media over the past few days.
"I haven't posted anything coz I can't find the words, I can't reply coz I don't know what to say," Ed wrote on Instagram, and shared a photo of the two. "Jamal is my brother. His light shone so bright. He only used it to illuminate others and never asked for anything in return. A stars light shines for millions of years after they go, and his will continue to light up every dark moment, we are all witnessing his power."
Ed adds that he "would not be here without [Jamal], professionally and personally," before closing, "There will never be anything close to what he is, but I'm so grateful to have existed within his orbit."
Jamal, a British music entrepreneur, is credited with helping to launch Ed's career. In February 2010, he featured Ed on his SBTV channel for an acoustic A64 session, and the two remained friends since. Most recently, he urged the Grammy winner to collaborate with Fireboy DML, a Nigerian artist, which resulted in the hit single "Peru."
A cause of death has not been announced. Jamal was 31.