(CNN) — Ed Sheeran has revealed that his wife, Cherry Seaborn, was diagnosed with a tumor when she was pregnant with their second child.
In a diary entry, the British singer-songwriter said a series of events early last year changed his life, his mental health and the way he views music and art. The diary pages were photographed by the legendary Annie Liebowitz and Sheeran used them to announce his new album.
“Within a month, my pregnant wife was told she had a tumor, not given a chance for treatment until after the birth. My best friend Jamal—a brother to me—died suddenly, and I found myself in court defending my integrity and songwriting career,” Sheeran wrote.
Subtract. 05.05.2023. Pre-order now: https://t.co/W2vnTwszLX
📸 @annieleibovitz pic.twitter.com/33La8ZPBxh
— Ed Sheeran HQ (@edsheeran) March 1, 2023
Music entrepreneur Jamal Edwards died in February of last year at the age of 31. His last Instagram post was a birthday message to Sheeran, his “brother.”
Sheeran’s 2017 hit song “Shape of You” took the musician to court last year as he was accused of plagiarizing it from artist Sami Sami’s “Oh Why.” He won the case in April 2022.
“I was spiraling with fear, depression and anxiety,” the artist continued. “I felt like I was drowning, my head was under the water, I could see but I couldn’t get my head out to breathe.”
Ed Sheeran.
He added that he had spent a decade “trying to sculpt the perfect acoustic album”, but for a week all that work was buried under his “deepest and darkest thoughts”.
Sheeran said his new album, “Substract,” due for release on May 5, is “opening the hatch to my soul.”
“For the first time, I’m not trying to make an album that people like. I’m just putting out something that is honest and true to where I am in my adult life,” he added.
The musician announced the birth of his second daughter in May on Instagram, writing that he and Seaborn were “so in love with her and happy to be a family of four.”
He has not commented further on his wife’s condition.
