Ed Sheeran says Elton John has become an integral part of his life.
The Grammy winner spoke to Apple Music’s Zane Lowe about his new album, “=” and Sheeran shared that John has been calling him “every single morning” since his longtime friend and music executive Michael Gudinski died in March.
“I think people think I’m exaggerating and lying when I say he calls every day. He calls me every single morning. Even if it’s like 10 seconds, every single morning he calls.”
Adding, “When Michael passed away, he rung me the day after to check how I was, and I really wasn’t good. And then just from that point he’s literally ringing me every single day … I am feeding porridge to Lyra in the morning, I get a call from Elton, and it’s ‘Lyra, say hi to Elton.’ It’s just become a daily thing and there’s not many people in my life like that and I really, really appreciate him.”
The two friends and artists are now also collaborators. They have a Christmas duet set to debut in December, something Sheeran wasn’t sure about at first but Gudinski’s death changed his perspective.
“It really just hit home how stuff can just change overnight,” he told Dutch radio station NPO Radio 2 earlier this month. “I was like, ‘Why the f**k am I not doing a Christmas song with Elton John? I might not be here tomorrow, this will be a f***ing great way to celebrate Christmas.’”
