It comes with the territory of being a pop megastar: many of the significant events in Ed Sheeran’s life have been emblazoned across front pages, picked apart in endless columns, and most recently in court rooms.
The singer has always seemed like one of the more genuine artists in the industry. But until now, he has been able to keep his private life private.
So, in his new Disney+ documentary The Sum Of It All, the Suffolk-native has an opportunity to tell his own story. Filmed during a tumultuous time for Sheeran, the four-part series focuses on four themes – love, loss, focus and release.
The first episode starts slowly, with flashbacks of the singer’s childhood, life and career which don’t really provide anything much beyond what’s known – many are already well versed with his career beginnings with SBTV, Sheeran’s sofa-surfing and his early material.
“I’m speccy, ginger hair, really short, English, from the countryside, who stutters and beatboxes. That guy doesn’t become a popstar,” he says, now as one of the world’s biggest popstars. But as the series goes on, the show progresses to give genuine insights into Sheeran’s personal life and mindset.
The story of the blossoming love between him and his childhood friend (now wife) Cherry makes for wholesome viewing. The two recall meeting at school before Cherry eventually ended up in New York following university studies in the US. Sheeran and Cherry would reunite there, and following a string of dates in the Big Apple, they have remained together ever since.
The warm tone quickly turns, though, with the revelation of Cherry’s cancer diagnosis, revealed when she was six months pregnant. A lump that was found in her arm turned out to be a cancerous tumour. For the young couple, this is bombshell news.
“It made me massively reflect on, like, mortality,” she tells the camera. Mercifully, they were told they could wait until the end of the pregnancy to get the tumour out, “we didn’t have to worry about delivering the baby early.” Then comes the one, two punch: “So we got that news, and then the day after, Jamal died.”
The death of Jamal Edwards looms large over this entire series, from the first episode to the last. As Sheeran’s best friend and a fundamental figure in his life and career, the influence of the young SBTV founder and music entrepreneur, who died in February 2022 of a cardiac arrhythmia following the use of recreational drugs, is felt throughout the series.
Sheeran is barely able to fight back the tears whenever the subject comes up. He returns to the UK to visit Jamal’s mother Brenda Edwards, following his death, for Nine-Night, a tradition where friends and family gather to celebrate the life of the deceased at their home. We also see Sheeran returning again to London, for Jamal’s annual birthday cookout, the first since his passing.
Afterwards, the singer breaks down in his car, having struggled to keep it together during the event. He then embarks on a touching solo tribute to Edwards late at night, heading to his friend’s favourite restaurant, before leaving candles and flowers at the mural depicting Edwards nearby. The evening ends, with a strangely prosaic sort of poignancy, with him being consoled by his security guard.
That dark cloud of grief continues to follow Sheeran. His tracks Eyes Closed and Boat were both recorded around this time, and at a special performance of them at the Union Chapel, we see him getting emotional once more so that he has to be cheered on by his fans.
Though the loss unavoidably dominates, there are lighter moments, including a performance of Thinking Out Loud on Ipswich High Street, busking in his former haunt. The singer then gifts the guitar he played with to a ten year-old fan, to cheers from the crowd; it’s an adorable moment, and says a lot about why he’s so loved.
As a whole, the four-part series, showcasing some of the toughest moments Sheeran has faced, does what he wanted it to do. It presents the singer as a human being, in a raw and honest way that will be appreciated by his fans, and those who have suffered with mental health, loss, grief and health issues – and paints a picture of his frame of mind while recording his new album, Subtract, just in time for its release.
