Ed Sheeran has vowed to quit drugs in the wake of the death of his best friend Jamal Edwards.
“The A Team” singer, 32, was so shattered by the February 2022 passing of music producer Edwards that he said he would never “touch (drugs) again”.
Edwards, 31, died after cardiac arrest brought on by cocaine and alcohol.
Sheeran told Rolling Stone: “I would never, ever, ever touch anything again, because that’s how Jamal died.
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“And that’s just disrespectful to his memory to even, like, go near.”
Sheeran added about falling into drug use: “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.”
Sheeran, who has daughters Lyra, two, and 10-month-old Jupiter with his 30-year-old wife Cherry Seaborn, said he had also stopped drinking hard liquor as he had never wanted to be “p*****” while holding one of his kids.
He added: “I was always a drinker. I didn’t touch any sort of like, drug, until I was 24.
“Two months before Lyra was born, Cherry said: ‘If my waters break, do you really 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 really don’t.’
“And I don’t ever want to be p***** 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 realisation 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.’
“I love red wine, and I love beer. I don’t know any old rockers that aren’t alcoholics or sober, and I didn’t want to be either.”