Ed Sheeran Tests Positive for COVID-19, Will Do All Planned Performances From Home

The singer took to Instagram to share the news, which comes just days before the release of his upcoming album, '=.'

Ed Sheeran has tested positive for COVID-19. The GRAMMY-winning singer took to Instagram on Sunday to reveal that he's tested positive for the virus and will be doing as many of his planned interviews and performances from home as possible while he self-isolates to prevent further spread of the disease.

"Hey guys. Quick note to tell you that I’ve sadly tested positive for Covid, so I’m now self-isolating and following government guidelines," he shared. "It means that I’m now unable to plough ahead with any in person commitments for now, so I’ll be doing as many of my planned interviews/performances I can from my house. Apologies to anyone I’ve let down. Be safe everyone x."

The news comes as Sheeran is set to join The Voice as a Mega Mentor on Monday and just days ahead of the Oct. 29 release of his upcoming album, =. He's also supposed to be the musical guest for Saturday Night Live on Nov. 6, but ET has learned that the show isn't "scrambling," as one news outlet reported. Rather "SNL is figuring it out. Ed could even perform from home or producers will book a new musical guest."

On Saturday, it was announced that the "Bad Habits" singer, who is gearing up to go on tour to promote his latest project, would be performing as the musical guest on Saturday Night Live on Nov. 6. It's currently unclear how his diagnosis will impact his role on the singing competition series or his upcoming performance on SNL. 

Last month, Sheeran opened up to ET at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards about including Courteney Cox on =.

"She sings. I'm pretty sure she sings on background vocals on the album. I think she's on 'Visiting Hours,'" he told ET's Rachel Smith on the red carpet. "If not, she was definitely on [my last album] ÷ somewhere." 

Though the news might seem out of left field, it's not for the British singer-songwriter who has a key link to Cox. 

"Well, my producer and songwriter, Johnny [McDaid] is dating her," he said of Cox's longtime partner. "Me and Johnny write most, like, we wrote 'Shape of You' together. We wrote 'Bad Habits' together. We work together a lot." 

As for his new music, Sheeran is excited to share it with his fans after experiencing several milestone moments in his life. 

"I got married. I became a father," he told ET. "I lost a really close friend and turned 30. I feel like it's a coming to terms album."

Sheeran's = is out Oct. 29.  

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