Today marks a solemn occasion for British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. The hitmaker will, unfortunately, be unable to attend his grandmother's funeral due to his current standing in a copyright lawsuit.
Anne "Nancy" Sheeran was 98 when she passed away and is set to rest in her hometown in Ireland on this day.
The 32-year-old singer-songwriter wrote a song about his Grandma Anne.
The track "Nancy Mulligan" was part of his third album "Divide," It tells the story of her romance with his grandfather William, who was from a different religious background.
Now, due to being in New York for a copyright trial, it is thought that he will not be able to attend the funeral in person and will have to watch via online streaming instead.
Legal action has been taken against a musician by family members of Ed Townsend, who was instrumental in creating Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" song released back in 1973.
The success of Ed Sheeran's award-winning song "Thinking Out Loud" has been met with claims of plagiarism due to its harmonic progressions and melodic and rhythmic elements possibly being lifted from "Let's Get It On."
However, the defense maintains that his 2014 release was utterly original and that no stealing had occurred - a claim which resulted in two Grammy Awards.
At the Manhattan Federal Court in New York, proceedings have begun regarding an estate's demand for a portion of profits from Ed's song.
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Reports from the Daily Mail declare the singer is prepared to end his music career should he lose the case. He confessed: "If that happens, I'm done, I'm stopping."
The trial commenced on April 24 and continues in earnest this week.
Ed told the court, "I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it."
In 2017, Anne couldn't help but be proud when her grandson's song Nancy Mulligan achieved widespread acclaim.
She revealed to RTE then: "He was lovely as a kid and he came every year on holidays once we moved here."
After all, Anne and her late husband William Sheeran had raised eight children between them who then went on to have 23 grandchildren - one of which was the ever-talented Ed.
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