Ed Sheeran has broken down in tears after winning a controversial lawsuit.
The estate of Marvin Gaye was suing Sheeran for plagiarizing “Let’s Get It On” in his own hit, “Thinking Out Loud.”
But now, the ruling has fallen in Sheeran’s favor.
Sheeran was visibly emotional as he left the courtroom.
Scroll on to see his response.
Ed Sheeran is an award-winning singer-songwriter.
His success over the years has been astounding.
And his rise to fame was prolific.
At the time, an extremely shy Sheeran was posting videos online when rapper, Example, noticed his potential and invited him to tour with him.
Remarkably, Sheeran managed to climb to number 1 on the iTunes chart before ever signing to a record label.
The British singer won the hearts of the nation with his stripped-back vibe and captivating humbleness.
His success grew.
In January 2011, the star released yet another EP as an independent artist, which smashed through the charts to number 2 — catching the eye of Atlantic Records, who Sheeran signed with the following month.
Songs such as 2012’s ‘The A-Team’, 2014’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’, and 2017’s ‘Shape of You’ have all earned Sheeran the title of multi-Grammy-award winning artist.
But there’s no doubt that Sheeran comes from humble beginnings.
He was once a bullied ginger kid who had to overcome major obstacles to get to be one of the wealthiest and most internationally successful musicians in the UK.
We all know how cruel kids can be, and Sheeran knows this reality all too well.
The star was mainly bullied for being ginger, for needing oversized glasses after an eye surgery went wrong, and for having a severe stutter.
The singer discovered that, when he sang, his stutter disappeared.
At 4-years-old he began singing in the church choir, leading him to take up playing the guitar, and, by eleven, he was already showcasing his talent — writing his own songs.
Impressive right!
At the age of just fourteen, he packed up his belongings and headed to London to officially launch his music career.
But, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, in fact, quite the opposite.
The singer would frequently struggle to find a bed for the night.
Often having to couch-surf or even sleep on the subway or in parks, with no money for food.
The rising star remained determined in his dream to curate a successful music career for himself, playing small venues, producing his own music, and collaborating with other artists he met along the way.
His global stardom has seen him release 4 critically acclaimed studio albums as well as collaborating with other music sensations such as Beyoncé.
Having basically every major artist at his beck and call, we aren’t entirely surprised to see a whole host of big names teaming up with Sheeran for his “No.6 Collaborations Project.”
From Justin Bieber and Eminem to Khalid and Camila Cabello, his musical venture wasn’t short of famous faces.
And Sheeran also took it live.
His Divide tour was the biggest ever, which commenced in March 2017, and went on to last over a whopping 2 years, with a total of 280 shows across the world, 1 of which included headlining Glastonbury festival.
The tour was pretty long and extremely hard work, but the Sheeran has certainly reaped the benefits.
The tour alone has earnt the singer an eye-watering estimated $77.5 million, taking the top spot for the highest-grossing tour, a position previously held by U2 for their 360 tour.
The star wrapped up the final leg of his mammoth world tour in a homecoming show in the town of Ipswich, UK.
Speaking to the packed-out venue, the star told fans that he would be taking a lengthy hiatus from music. “As you may or may not know, I’ve been on the Divide tour for over two years now and this is the last day of the whole thing,” he told the crowd.
“There is something very bittersweet about it,” he said.
“I love that you guys are here and we are ending it in Ipswich. This is my last gig for probably 18 months.”
“I was told before I came on that now at the end of this tour I’ve played to nine million people around the world. It is the biggest tour ever,” he explained.
Sheeran told fans how emotional the day had been for him and his team backstage. “It’s been an emotional day for a lot of people backstage. It kind of feels like, in a weird way, that you’re breaking up with a girlfriend that you’ve been with for years. It sounds odd but it has been a long tour,” he said.
Sheeran had a very good reason for wanting to take a break from music.
The singer wanted to take time away to focus on his family — more specifically, his wife, and childhood sweetheart, Cherry Seaborn.
Speaking in June 2019, the singer said that he would be willing to sacrifice years on end to have kids with her and to focus on his family life.
“I’m starting a life with Cherry. I can’t spend the next twenty years on the road,” he explained at the time.
“Kids would be the different thing. I wouldn’t mind sacrificing for them.
“If someone told me you can’t tour again for the next ten years if you have kids that is fine, because that is what I have signed up for.
“I’ve already achieved more than I thought I would, so now I’m just trying to have fun,” he said.
And it seems as though Sheeran has set his sight somewhere other than music…
Sheeran reportedly wants to create an SPF of 70 for those with particularly fair skin.
“You would buy suncream if my face was on it,” he told The Mirror.
“Because you’d be like ‘He definitely knows what he’s talking about,’ If you were going to a hot country and you needed Factor 70,” Sheeran said.
Sounds like a good idea to us!
Earlier this year, Sheeran offered a heartbreaking insight into his life.
Including one that left him in tears.
“This is so sad and scary,” one fan commented.
“Wow, I had no idea all this was going on,” another wrote.
He breaks down in tears in the trailer for his new documentary series, The Sum Of It All.
Sheeran first explains the “fear, depression, and anxiety” brought on due to his wife’s health condition.
Sheeran then reveals that wife Cherry has recently had a tumor diagnosis.
And heartbreakingly, they had to wait until after her pregnancy to operate.
Sheeran is also shown breaking down on stage in the documentary trailer.
Something Cherry claims she has never seen him do before.
Ed also reveals he’s dealing with the death of his close friend, Jamal Edwards.
Edwards heartbreakingly passed away early last year of an accidental overdose.
Cherry adds: “He hasn’t had the time to process and be at peace with his thoughts.”
And the culmination of these stresses led Ed to a very dark place.
“I’ve always had real lows in my life,” he said.
“But it wasn’t really till last year that I actually addressed it.”
“I felt like I didn’t want to live anymore,” he went on.
“And I have had that throughout my life.… You’re under the waves drowning. You’re just sort of in this thing. And you can’t get out of it.”
“I feel really embarrassed about it.”
“No one really talks about their feelings where I come from.”
“People think it’s weird getting a therapist in England.… I think it’s very helpful to be able to speak with someone and just vent and not feel guilty about venting.”
“Obviously, like, I’ve lived a very privileged life. So my friends would always look at me like, ‘Oh, it’s not that bad.’”
Sheeran explains that recovery from this point is something he works on every day.
Watch the trailer here.
The Sum of Us is streaming on Disney Plus now!
But this week, Sheeran has been in the headlines for another reason.
He’s won his court case for plagiarism against the estate of Marvin Gaye.
Kathryn Townsend Griffin, the daughter of Ed Townsend, one of the co-writers on the Marvin Gaye track ‘Let’s Get It On’, filed a lawsuit against him back in 2017.
She claimed there were “striking similarities” between the song and Sheeran’s hit ‘Thinking Out Loud.’
Sheeran said: “If I had done what you’re accusing me of doing I’d be quite an idiot to stand on stage in front of 25,000 people.”
The court ruled in Sheeran’s favor, with the singer saying he was: “obviously very happy with the outcome of the case.”
“Unfortunately, unfounded claims like this are being fuelled by individuals who are offered as music experts in musical analysis,” Sheeran continued.
Amy Wadge, the co-writer of ‘Thinking Out Loud,’ agreed, saying: “It was just the most unbelievable relief and like seven years of stress just leaving my body.”
She also shared that she and Ed had “shed a few tears.”
What do you think of the judgment?