Ed Sheeran revealed on Wednesday that his wife Cherry Seaborn developed a tumor during her pregnancy with their second child and that there was “no route to treatment until after the birth.” In a handwritten note announcing the release of his new album, the British singer-songwriter also said he spiraled “through fear, depression and anxiety” last year following the sudden death of his friend, Jamal Edwards, and during a copyright trial over his music. “[A]t the start of 2022, a series of events damaged my life, my mental health, and ultimately the way I view music and art,” Sheeran, 32, wrote in the note released on social media. He added that as a result he dropped “hundreds” of songs he’d written for his forthcoming album, - (Subtract), and instead “replaced a decade’s worth of work with my deepest, darkest thoughts.” Sheeran and Seaborn’s second daughter was born in May 2022.
