The brother of a former EastEnders actress has been stabbed to death.

Ben Kinsella, 16, whose sister Brooke played Kelly Taylor in the soap, died after a row with youths.

Brooke, 24, and her boyfriend, ex-EastEnders actor Ray Panthaki, were among those who paid their respects at the scene yesterday.

Police said Ben was stabbed in Islington, London, about 2am yesterday.

More than 50 people, including Birds Of A Feather star Linda Robson, gathered at the scene yesterday.

One of the dead teenager's friends said he had received a desperate phone call for help from Ben shortly before the stabbing.

David Dugdale, 17, said: "He called me on the phone and just said 'help'. He sounded really scared and then it just clicked off."

Another friend, who did not want to be named, said: "He was a really bright kid. He has appeared in The Bill once and his sister Brooke was in EastEnders."

Another described Ben as a "gentle boy". She said: "He wouldn't hurt you, he wouldn't even shout at anybody.

"He was the sort of boy that was a role model for everyone else. He was a good boy."

Ben was thought to have been at a party in a nearby pub, Shillibeers, earlier in the evening.

After the stabbing, he was taken by ambulance to hospital where he died.

One witness said he saw Ben lying on the ground in a pool of blood. He said: "There were ambulancemen putting an oxygen mask on him and trying to help him.

"Somebody told me they resuscitated him a couple of times while he was lying on the floor."

Scotland Yard said two 16-year-old youths were arrested nearby and taken to a north London police station.

They were still in custody yesterday as officers searched for a weapon near the scene.

A spokesman said: "We are keeping an open mind regarding the motive."

Ben was the 17th teenager to die as a result of violence in London this year.

Bob Hamlyn, Ben's headteacher at Holloway School, paid tribute to the popular student who came from "a lovely family".

He said: "He was a bright kid, very high-achieving academically and would have had some very good results to look forward to this summer. He was also very sporty and had everything to live for but that has been taken away from him.

"They say there have been 17 teenagers killed this year and it's 17 too many.

"People know what they have to do, they have to stop carrying the knives and put them away."

A spokesman for Brooke confirmed the victim was her younger brother.

Her parents Debbie and George also have another daughter.