Ed Sheeran has paid tribute to longtime friend and mentor Michael Gudinski, visiting his statue outside Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne. Sheeran, who’s currently on a mammoth tour of the country, stopped by with Gudinski’s son Matt to toast the late Mushroom founder with a glass of his favourite wine, Penfolds Bin 707.
“He was in my tour insurance that basically if anything ever happened to him, I could cancel as many gigs as possible and go and be with his family,” Sheeran said of Gudinski, as per the Herald Sun.
Ed Sheeran: ‘Visiting Hours’
Gudinski passed away in March 2021 at the age of 68. His state memorial was attended by hundreds of artists including Kylie Minogue, Paul Kelly, Jimmy Barnes, and Archie Roach, and was watched by tens of thousands of people online.
Gudinski worked on some of Sheeran’s earliest tours of Australia, and the British pop artist has described Gudinski as a father figure. Sheeran navigated strict Covid border requirements to be in Melbourne for the state memorial service, where he performed a new song – ‘Visiting Hours’ – which he’d written for Gudinski.
Sheeran is currently in the middle of his extensive Mathematics tour. He’ll play two nights at Melbourne’s MCG later this week, with more than 105,000 fans expected on each night.
Ed Sheeran + – = ÷ x Tour 2023
- Thursday, 2nd March– Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
- Friday, 3rd March – Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
- Tuesday, 7th March– Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
- Sunday, 12th March– Optus Stadium, Perth
Tickets on sale now via Frontier Touring.
Further Reading
Budjerah And Maisie Peters To Support Ed Sheeran On Australian Tour
Ed Sheeran Documentary ‘Full Circle’ to Have World Premiere on Channel 9
