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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Ed Sheeran says trolls drove him off Twitter; Lady Gaga sends her love

Ed Sheeran has told the British tabloid the Sun that he’s left Twitter completely after tiring of the nasty comments. (Evan Agostini / Invision/AP)
By Libby Hill Los Angeles Times

Sorry, Twitter, but you won’t have Ed Sheeran to kick around anymore.

At least that’s what he told British tabloid the Sun on Monday, stating that he had abandoned the platform wholesale.

“I go on it, and there’s nothing but people saying mean things. Twitter’s a platform for that,” Sheeran said. “One comment ruins your day. But that’s why I’ve come off it.”

The British pop star said some of that abuse came from the rabid fan base of Lady Gaga, whose so-called “little monsters” targeted Sheeran after a January interview they perceived as disrespectful to the “Born This Way” singer.

In response to news that Sheeran had abandoned Twitter, Lady Gaga herself took to Instagram to share a photo of the two and expressed her love for the soulful singer, imploring Internet denizens to be more positive and loving.

“No reason to tear down an artist simply because they are on top,” Gaga wrote in her message posted Tuesday. “Work harder to be kinder everybody. That should be your first duty to humanity.”

Ironically, Sheeran’s widespread popularity has partly made him a target for online haters.

Upon release of his new album, “Divide,” in March, Sheeran had 16 songs on the UK Top 20 chart. That’s a feat so astounding that the Britain’s Official Charts Company had to change its structure, allowing only three songs per artist on the charts in a given week.

Sheeran’s “Shape of You” also has garnered 184 million streams in the U.K. since its release in January, making it the most streamed song of all time in Britain.

All is not lost for Sheeran’s fans, however. The “Galway Girl” singer still retains his Twitter account, and images from his Instagram account continue to be cross-posted there.

If nothing else, perhaps Sheeran will return to Twitter to continue to educate the masses on the functionality (and existence) of loopers.