Ed Sheeran is honoring the memory of "father figure" Michael Gudinski.
On Wednesday, March 24, the singer took to the stage to perform a new song dedicated to the late Australian entrepreneur, who Ed previously described as a "tornado of joy."
Ed traveled to Australia from Britain and quarantined for two weeks to personally attend the services at the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. He explained to the more than 7,000 people in the audience, "In lockdown I was able to have a guitar for quarantine and I always find the best way to process stuff is to write songs, be it good news, bad news or whatever and here is a song I finished last week."
The song "Visiting Hours" reveals how the Grammy winner wishes Michael had met his first daughter, Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran. He sings, "I wish that heaven/Had visiting hours/So I just could show up/And bring good news/That she's getting older/And I wish that you'd met her/The things that she'll learn from me/I got them all from you."
The song continues to describe Ed's fear "of turning out a failure," and of raising his children "right."
The 30-year-old artist spoke highly of Michael, the founder of Mushroom Records, in a statement issued to Instagram on March 5, just two days after the Australian native died peacefully in his sleep, according to the BBC. In the emotional statement, Ed recalled their many conversations, sharing, "Every memory I have of him is so clear and so precise, because every moment was electric."
He added that he once asked Michael for a bronze statue of the Aussie, "so I could always have a drink with him in my house, because he lived so far away... The night he passed, I was very grateful to be able to share his favourite wine with him and say goodbye."
According to Billboard, Michael was remembered by numerous artists from across the globe, including Taylor Swift and Dave Grohl, to name a few of the singers who recorded messages of condolences.