Ed Sheeran will "never" touch drugs again because it would be "disrespectful" to the memory of his late friend Jamal Edwards.
The DJ and SB.TV founder passed away in February 2022 at the age of 31 after suffering from cardiac arrhythmia following cocaine use, and his death cemented Ed's feelings about taking certain substances.
"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," he said in a cover interview with Rolling Stone.
The 32-year-old revealed that he got into a "few" substances, which he declined to name due to his children, during his "party boy" phase in his twenties.
"I remember just being at a festival and being like, 'Well, if all of my friends do it, it can't be that bad,'" he recalled. "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."
In addition to drugs, Ed also cut down on his alcohol consumption and now only drinks wine and beer in moderation.
"Two months before Lyra was born, (his wife) Cherry said, 'If my waters break, do you really want someone else to drive me to the hospital?" he remembered. "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**sed holding my kid. Ever, ever.
"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."
Ed and Cherry welcomed Lyra in August 2020 and their second daughter Jupiter in May 2022.
