Ed Sheeran has vowed he will never do drugs again following the tragic death of his pal Jamal Edwards.
Jamal, who founded music platform SBTV in 2006 which helped launch Ed's career, died in February 2022 at the age of 31. An inquest into the music entrepreneur's death found that he died from a cardiac arrest after a night of drinking and taking cocaine.
The Shape Of You singer paid tribute to his late pal in an emotional song, and admits it would be 'disrespectful' to ever take drugs again following his pal's death. Jamal, who is the son of Loose Women star Brenda Edwards, is credited for helping Ed, Jessie J and rapper Dave rise to fame.
Speaking to Rolling Stone, Ed made the candid confession about drugs as he opened up on Jamal's death. He said: "I would never, ever, ever touch anything again, because that’s how Jamal died. And that’s just disrespectful to his memory to even, like, go near.”
In Jamal's final Instagram post, he paid tribute to his old friend writing: “Happy Birthday to the OG, Ed. Blessed to have you in my life brother. You know you’ve been mates a long time when you lose count on the years! Keep smashing it & inspiring us all G!”
Discussing his drug use with the publication, Ed revealed he first tried the illicit substances in his mid-20s before gradually becoming addicted. He explained: “I was always a drinker. I didn’t touch any sort of like, drug, until I was 24.
“I remember just being at a festival and being like, ‘Well, if all of my friends do it, it can’t be that bad.’ And then sort of dabbling. And then it just turns into a habit that you do once a week and then once a day and then, like, twice a day and then, like, without booze.“
Earlier this year, Ed delivered an emotional tribute to the late SBTV founder Jamal in a beautiful track which was released online. The chart-topper rapped: “Yo Jam, this is a letter to you, it's been a while but it's been hard for me to get in the booth.
“Since we last spoke I've become a father of two trying to live life with a smile but that's been harder to do. Because all I want to do is talk about you, but these tears won't let me talk about you. We should have known that we'd be lost without you.“
After Jamal's tragic death, the A Team singer penned a social media tribute to his pal and attached an old photo alongside. He captioned the post: “I haven’t posted anything coz I can’t find the words, I can’t reply coz I don’t know what to say. Jamal is my brother. His light shone so bright. He only used it to illuminate others and never asked for anything in return.
“A star’s 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. I would not be here without him, professionally and personally.
“There will never be anything close to what he is, but I’m so grateful to have existed within his orbit. My brother, come on.”
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