Celebrity
Ed Sheeran Breaks Down In Tears As He Opens Up On His Wife’s Health Issues
The loss of his best friend inspired the track ‘Eyes Closed.’
2022 was tough for the British megastar, Ed Sheeran. He had spiraled into depression after his wife, Cherry Seaborn was diagnosed with a tumor while pregnant. The 32-year-old had equally been left badly heartbroken after his best friend and mentor; Jamal Edwards tragically died of cardiac arrest brought on by cocaine and alcohol in February 2022 at the age of 31.
Jamal had given Ed his first big break as he was a music producer and the son of Loose Women star Brenda Edwards.
Speaking of the above, a new emotional documentary of a four-part series on Disney+ shows the Suffolk-born singer-songwriter sobbing as he discusses the death of his best friend compounded by his wife Cherry’s health battle. Ed was seen at the back of a car in the teaser for The Sum Of It All, which will officially air on May 3rd.
In the docu-series, there was a clip of Ed crying on stage, with Cherry saying: “I’ve never seen him cry on stage,” adding: “He hasn’t had the time to process and be at peace with his thoughts.”
The trailer then showed Ed as he said to the camera: “You guys said, “Do you want to make a documentary?” And I said, “Yeah, it’ll be me in the studio and we’ll play a gig.” But the singer added that after the trauma of the past year: “That’s not what the documentary is.” Clips of Cherry’s pregnant with the couple’s two children Lyra, 2, and Jupiter, 10 months also emerged.
Accordingly, the pair were seen going on dates together, with Ed stating: “Everything in my life sort of got so much better when Cherry came into it.”
Of Cherry’s health issues and the toll it took on the couple, Ed revealed they were plagued with fear, depression, and anxiety as she was diagnosed with a tumor that she couldn’t have treated until after she had given birth to their second child. The trailer eventually concluded with delighted clips of Ed celebrating his birthday, playing on stage, and laughing with his friends as he says “life can be unpredictable.”
This comes after the singer revealed that the first single off his new album Subtract is dedicated to his late friend Jamal.
The single, set to be released on March 24th is named Eyes Closed. Ed had explained that the sixth studio album is inspired by personal tragedies he faced while telling his 42 million Instagram followers that the loss of his close friend inspired the track and that he is dancing with his eyes closed to get through it. Subtract itself will be released on May 5 with Asylum Records and Atlantic Records.
“Eyes Closed is out 24th March, you can pre order it now,” Ed penned alongside his post on Instagram.
He added: “This song is about losing someone feeling like every time you go out and you expect to just bump into them, and everything just reminds you of them and things you did together. You sort of have to take yourself out of reality sometimes to numb the pain of loss, but certain things just bring you right back into it. Blue was Jamal’s color, but now is all I feel. And I guess music helps heal, so I’m dancing with my eyes closed to try get through it x.”
Alongside the images, Ed posted two black and white photos, in which he appeared to be deep in thought as he reflected on the emotional toll of the past couple of years.
The singer has even reportedly had suicidal thoughts after the death of Jamal. He told Rolling Stone that he felt shame around his thoughts as they seemed selfish, adding that: “My best friend died. And he shouldn’t have done. I’ve always had real lows in my life. But it wasn’t till last year that I actually addressed it. I felt like I didn’t want to live anymore. 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.”
Ed detailed feeling like he was drowning when another close friend, Australian cricketer Shane Warne passed away in March 2022.
He pointed out that the depression seemed selfish, especially as a father, and also felt embarrassed. “No one 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. The help isn’t a button that is pressed, where you’re automatically OK. It’s something that will always be there and just has to be managed,” said Ed who sought help, thanks to his wife Cherry.
The singer also opened up about his drinking and drug use and how he ended up quitting both. He admitted to using a few substances but refused to name them for fear of his kids.
“I was always a drinker. I didn’t touch any sort of, 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. It just became bad vibes,” Ed said. It was challenging to quit alcohol but once again it was his wife Cherry that put things into focus.
He recalled: “Two months before Lyra was born, Cherry said, “If my waters break, do you want someone else to drive me to the hospital?” Because I was just drinking a lot. And that’s when it clicked. I was like, “No, actually, I don’t.” And I don’t ever want to be p***ed holding my kid. Ever, ever. Having a couple of beers is one thing. But having a bottle of vodka is another thing. It’s just a realization of, “I’m getting into my thirties. Grow up! You’ve partied, you’ve had this experience. Be happy with that and just be done.”
The passing of Jamal from a combo of cocaine and booze further cemented Ed’s feelings about drugs and he has insisted “I would never, ever touch anything again, because that’s how Jamal died. And that’s just disrespectful to his memory to even, like, go near.”
However, the trailer of the new documentary has left fans emotional, especially as starts with Ed talking about his childhood, growing up with a stutter and saying: “That guy doesn’t grow up to be a pop star. It’s so unlikely.” His childhood videos are interspersed with clips of him on stage during his sellout arena tours. Viewers will see him going from the beginning of his career to becoming one of music’s biggest stars.
