Ed Sheeran 'didn't want to live' after death of friends like Shane Warne

English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has opened up about his tragic year 2022 in which he lost two of his friends: celebrated Australian cricketer Shane Warne and music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards. While speaking to Rolling Stone magazine in an interview ahead of a documentary series on his life and career as well as a new album, Sheeran said he did not want to live anymore. he told the publication, "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.”

He added that the thoughts, even then, seemed selfish "especially as a father. I feel really embarrassed about it.” Sheeran is married to childhood sweetheart Cherry Seaborn and has two young daughters.

The singer went on to say that talking about one's feelings is still something of a taboo in England. This is where the 'stiff upper lip' stereotype comes from. During times of adversity or difficulty, the English maintain a stiff upper lip — remain resolute and unemotional in the face of hardship, not showing their feelings or emotions openly.

Sheeran added, “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. Obviously, like, I’ve lived a very privileged life. So my friends would always look at me like, ‘Oh, it’s not that bad.’ ”

A four-part documentary on the life and career of Sheeran will arrive in May on Disney+.  Titled Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All, it will offer an inside look at Sheeran's life and career, with the singer stating that it was the right time to "open the door and let people in." The documentary series' release will coincide with Sheeran's next album, titled - (subtract).