Ed Sheeran selflessly helped finance Tom Parker’s private medical treatment during his grueling battle with brain cancer.
The Wanted singer died at the age of 33 in March after being diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor known as glioblastoma in October 2020.
At the height of his cancer battle, Parker’s closest friends rallied around him to make sure he was receiving the best possible round-the-clock care.
And among them was British singing sensation Sheeran, according to Parker’s forthcoming memoir, titled “Hope: My Inspirational Life.”
Parker called the “Shape of You” hitmaker a “special man,” and said his kind gesture “meant the world” to him and his wife, Kelsey Parker.
“I’ve never publicly said this before (and he’ll probably be mad that I’m doing it now) but Ed is a very special man — he even helped out with my medical bills when I was seeking other treatment options and having private immunotherapy,” read an extract from the book, obtained by The Sun.
“He didn’t need to do any of that, but my wife Kelsey and I are so grateful to him for his support, it meant the world.”
The pair struck up a friendship when Sheeran joined The Wanted on tour over a decade ago.
Parker — who shared 2-year-old daughter, Aurelia, and 1-year-old son, Bodhi, with Kelsey — underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments and announced in November 2021 that his tumor was “under control,” but unfortunately, the cancer soon returned.
The singer joined The Wanted in 2009, and the band went on to release hits including “Glad You Came,” “All Time Low” and “I Found You.”
The band went on hiatus in 2014 but reunited in 2021 for a greatest hits album and a fundraiser concert in London in support of Parker.
