Ed Sheeran has admitted he "didn’t want to live any more" after his best friend died and his pregnant wife was diagnosed with a tumour. The singer-songwriter said he felt "powerless" and has spoken about his mental health.
Sheeran's friend, music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards, died in 2022 aged 31. Edwards had founded music platform SBTV, which helped launched Sheeran's career.
Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine, Sheeran explained he had been at dinner with Taylor Swift and her boyfriend Joe Alwyn, the night before his best friend's death. He had been texting Edwards about shooting a music video the next day.
“Twelve hours later, he was dead," Sheeran said. "My best friend died. And he shouldn’t have done.
“I felt like I didn’t want to live any more. And I have had that throughout my life.
“You’re under the waves drowning. You’re just sort of in this thing. And you can’t get out of it. I’ve always had real lows in my life. But it wasn’t really till last year that I actually addressed it.”
Edwards's death came shortly after Sheeran's wife of four years, Cherry Seaborn was diagnosed with a tumour. She was six months pregnant at the time and could not have surgery to remove the tumour until the couple's second child was born.
Seaborn carried their daughter, Jupiter, to term and her surgery was successful. But Sheeran has admitted he felt "so powerless" during the ordeal.
The global star said he felt "embarrassed" by his "selfish" thoughts. But Seaborn realised what was going on and advised him to seak to a therapist.
He said: “No-one really talks about their feelings where I come from. People think it’s weird getting a therapist in England. I think it’s very helpful to be able to speak with someone and just vent and not feel guilty about venting.”
Sheeran has now said he will "never, ever" touch drugs again after a coroner ruled Edwards's death was drug-related. He said it would be "disrespectful" to his friend's memory.
For anyone who needs help, Samaritans can be contacted free on 116 123 or on email at jo@samaritans.org, or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.
