Stormzy and Kehlani are among those who have sent condolences to the family of late singer-songwriter Talah Riley.
The 35-year-old, whose real name was Mark Orabiyi, was found with stab wounds in a garden in the East London neighbourhood of Silvertown on the morning on Friday 5 June. He was subsequently pronounced dead.
Riley worked on songs for stars such as Dua Lipa, Britney Spears, Ellie Goulding, Nick Jonas and Chipmunk and was involved in creating hits including Khalid’s Young Dumb & Broke, The Chainsmokers’ Who Do You Love, Lights On by H.E.R., Walk Like This by FLO, and Kehlani’s Out The Window.
His brother, record producer and songwriter Michael Orabiyi, also known as Scribz Riley, paid tribute to his sibling on Instagram and received an influx of condolences from celebrity friends.
“I’m sorry bro,” Stormzy wrote alongside heart emojis in the comments, while Kehlani posted, “Big hugs scribz i’m so sorry.”
Meanwhile, rapper Wretch 32 wrote, “Sending love to you & your family bro. Your brother was a gem & will be missed & never forgotten, Never! R.I.P,” Sugababes star Keisha Buchanan added, “Sending my condolences and prayers (heart) so very sorry (prayer emoji),” and Khalid commented, “Im so sorrry bro… im sending you so much love (sic).”
JLS stars Aston Merrygold and Oritse Williams, who also worked with Riley, expressed their condolences too, with Merrygold sending the family “nothing but love” and Williams giving them “strength and prayers”.
Three people were arrested on suspicion of murdering the Grammy-winning musician. A man and a woman, aged 24 and 25 respectively, have been released with no further action, and a 27-year-old man has been released on bail pending further enquiries.
A man in his 20s is also being treated for multiple stab wounds, but his injuries are not life-threatening, according to the police.
Detective Chief Inspector Joanna Yorke, from the Metropolitan Police, said in a statement, “Our investigation continues at pace. I would like to appeal for anyone who was in the area at the time of this incident to speak to police.
“We are particularly interested in hearing from anyone who might have CCTV or other footage from the morning of the incident that could assist our investigation.”
