The heartbreaking truth behind Ed Sheeran's first song

Ed Sheeran reportedly poured his grief over losing a childhood friend into one of his breakout songs. Photo / Getty Images

Ed Sheeran poured his grief of his friend dying in a tragic car crash into the song that launched his music career, it has been reported.

The 27-year-old singer was just a teenager when classmate Stuart Dines, 14, died on a school trip 12 years ago, according to the Daily Mail.

In the midst of his pain, Sheeran, who was not on the trip at the time, decided to write down his feelings, penning the song We Are - which became one of his most popular songs when he started gigging around London.

An excerpt from the book Ed Sheeran by Sean Smith obtained by The Mirror, read: "Ed had to come to terms with the death of someone he saw practically every day.

"He resolved to write a song about his feelings. He composed it, he said, 'whilst I got round to actually accepting it'."

Dines' dad Robert told Smith: "Ed was very, very upset, like a lot of the children."

Ed Sheeran was a teenager when he lost his childhood friend Stuart Dines. Photo / supplied

Dines died when two coaches carrying British children on half-term ski holidays were involved in a freak motorway pile-up in Germany.

Stuart was killed by a piece of metal from the lorry which smashed through one of the coach windows.

The second, smaller, coach, owned by Ambassador Travel, of Great Yarmouth, then collided with the vehicles.

The moving lyrics include: "Leaves have fallen to the ground/And now there's no one else around/To hear the cry.

"I saw your body/I saw your face/Loss of presence/Loss of grace/Behind those eyes."

He goes on to sing: "I miss your laughter/I miss your tears/I miss your rambling/About your fears/Your smile/The crowed has gathered/All around/No one's speaking/No one makes a sound/And I.../And we break down."

Sheeran began recording music in 2004, and independently released his first collection of work, Spinning Man.

He has been friends with fellow English singer, Passenger, since he was 15, with the two playing on the same gig in Cambridge.

With dreams of playing to huge crowds he moved to London in 2008, and began singing in small venues.

Two years later he released his critically acclaimed Loose Change EP, which featured his future debut single, "The A Team".

Ed's wealth has increased from $101 million in 2017 to $184 million thanks to his third album Divide (six million copies sold and counting) and ticket sales from his $440 million-grossing two-year world tour.