Ed Sheeran says he will 'never do drugs again' after tragic death of pal Jamal Edwards
22.03.2023 - 21:01
/ dailyrecord.co.uk
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