Ed Sheeran misses grandmother's funeral 'due to copyright trial'
Heartbroken Ed Sheeran is forced to MISS funeral of beloved grandmother who inspired hit song Nancy Mulligan because he ‘has to stay in New York for Marvin Gaye copyright trial’ – as family lay her to rest at church service in Ireland
- Sources close to the singer have said he is disappointed he can’t attend
Ed Sheeran has been forced to miss his beloved grandmother’s funeral and will watch the service online, MailOnline can reveal.
Anne ‘Nancy’ Sheeran was laid to rest today in her hometown of Gorey in Ireland after she passed away aged 98.
She was the inspiration for one of her superstar grandson’s most personal songs, Nancy Mulligan – her maiden name – telling the story of her romance with her husband William Sheeran, a protestant from Ulster who she met in London during the war.
But Ed, 32, has been forced to miss today’s service because he stuck in New York where he is battling a high profile $100million copyright trial where he is accused of ripping off Marvin Gaye’s soul classic ‘Let’s Get it On’.
Instead his father John and brother Matthew attended the funeral at St Patrick’s Church, Monaseed, Gorey, for today’s service, which was conducted by Father Felix Byrne, 93.
Ed Sheeran will remain in America to fight a copyright trial and miss the funeral (Pictured: departing the Manhattan federal court yesterday)
Heartbroken: Ed Sheeran based his hit song Nancy Mulligan on his grandmother Anne ‘Nancy’ Sheeran’s (pictured) romance with her husband William Sheeran
Nancy and William met in London during World War Two and were happily married for years
Ed Sheeran’s older brother Matthew Sheeran pictured at the funeral in Ireland today
Due to his copyright trial, Ed has been unable to join the rest of his family (pictured) in paying respects today
As he put the finishing touches to his address, Father Byrne told MailOnline: ‘Anne was a lovely woman and her late husband was a gentleman.
‘They lived just down the road from here on a farm, but sold off a lot of the land after they retired.
‘Anne was involved in all the community’s activities, organising all kinds of groups attached to the church and the village. We will all miss her dearly, it’s a great loss.
‘I know her grandson Ed was over to see her quite a lot but I only met him once, about 15 years ago.
‘Anne was helping me organise a service to bless all the animals in the parish – people’s dogs and cats and what have you. Ed came along to that, and I found him a nice chap to deal with.
‘Everyone around here knows the lovely story of how William melted down gold from a dentist’s surgery and made Anne a wedding ring.’
Ed himself recalled the inspiration for his song Nancy Mulligan, a few years ago.
They were married in Wexford and Ed said ‘nobody turned up at their wedding,’ he said.
‘My grandfather stole all the gold teeth in his dental surgery and melted them down into a wedding ring.
‘They wore borrowed clothes to get married, and just basically had this kind of Romeo and Juliet romance, which is like the most romantic thing.
‘So I thought I’d write a song about it and make it a jig,’ Ed said.
Nancy’s family mourned together publicly as they came together to celebrate her life
Nancy’s coffin was driven through the streets in a hearse prior to the service
RIP: Anne Mary, who has known as Nancy, Sheeran née Mulligan, from Gorey, passed away peacefully at Castle Gardens Nursing Home in Enniscorthy last Tuesday
The singer’s grandparents subsequently went on to have eight children and 23 grandchildren.
When the song went public, a touching video emerged of Nancy listening to it for the first time back in 2017.
She even made an appearance on RTE News where she spoke at length about her gifted grandchild.
‘I will never think of him as being famous, I have to say. He’s exactly the same as he always is when he visits.
‘And it’s very rare because he’s always working and when you think he was working from the age of 14, you’d have to feel sorry for him, you know he’s so tired but he loves it,’ Nancy said.
Nancy, was remembered as by her family as a ‘beloved wife of the late Bill and loving mother of Jim, Bill, Peter, Chris, John, MaryAnne, Bridget and the late Sally and sister of the late Thomas, Jim, May and Peggy.
‘Deeply regretted by her loving sons, daughters, grandchildren, great grandchildren, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, niece, nephews, relatives, friends and neighbours.’
Friends of Ed say the star is disappointed not to be able to go to the funeral.
His father, Nancy’s son, is expected to give the eulogy and Ed’s mother Imogen and elder brother Matthew, a composer, are expected to attend the service.
Ed Sheeran will remain in America to fight a copyright trial and miss the funeral (Pictured: attending the premiere of his Disney+ documentary series in New York)
Last night, the singer sported a laid-back look while attending the premiere of his Disney+ documentary series in New York.
Ed wore a black leather jacket over a white T-shirt, black jeans and Nike sneakers for the screening, where guests were treated to his docuseries, ‘Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All.’
He also rocked his usual scruffy beard and wore his ginger hair in a tousled bedhead style with a choppy fringe.
After originally believing his four-part documentary series would follow him in the studio and writing music, the challenges in Ed’s life – particularly in February 2022 – saw the show turn into a therapeutic experience, where he bares his soul to his enormous fanbase.
The series features a personal behind-the-scenes look at Sheeran’s life, including a heartbreaking moment of him crying as he recalled finding out about his wife Cherry Seaborn’s cancer diagnosis.
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