Fans and friends of music pioneer Jamal Edwards gathered at a vigil in west London on Monday evening to pay tribute to the 31-year-old, who died on Sunday.
Edwards was the founder of SBTV, an online grime and rap platform that helped launch the careers of artists like Dave, Skepta and Ed Sheeran.
"He was the hero of Acton," Zachary Thomas told the BBC at the event.
"He was the guy who showed you could make it out without... getting involved in crime or anything."
Edwards started filming local MCs after his parents gave him a video camera as a Christmas present when he was 15.
That led him to start SBTV, which became a launchpad for some of the biggest names in British music.
One friend at the vigil, Dominic Magliore, told the BBC: "It's hard to accept it. I heard about it yesterday and I saw him on Friday. We was hugging, laughing and having a good time and everything seemed OK."
The mourners paid their respects on Acton High Street in front of a mural of Edwards, which was commissioned in 2019.
Sam Borelli said: "Jamal was the guy that showed kids from low-income households that you are not limited to what your grades might tell you. He made the musicians that made me, if you know what I mean, with a camera he got for Christmas."
Edwards' company confirmed his death to the BBC on Sunday, saying he had died that morning. No cause of death has been given.
His mother Brenda Edwards, a singer and panellist on ITV show Loose Women, said he "passed away after a sudden illness". She said she was "completely devastated".