Ed Sheeran is related to mob boss Frank Sheeran played by Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's 'The Irishman'
Ed Sheeran is related to mobster Frank Sheeran who was played by Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's new film 'The Irishman'.
Frank Sheeran, who was infamous for "painting houses" by splattering victims' blood on the walls, is allegedly a distant uncle of Ed, according to Stephen Graham who plays fellow gangster Anthony Provenzano. Graham believes that the unlikely connection was genuine.
As reported by The Sun, Graham shared, "They're related, you know. Honest to God—I swear on my nana's life. That's what Ed said, he says it's his distant uncle".
Speaking about the film, Graham shared, "It’s all based on true events, on Frank Sheeran. Before he passed away, he gave all this information to a journalist who turned it into a book".
Ed had earlier highlighted the pair's shared name when the film was first announced. It did not appear as though Ed was aware of any family connection.
He took to social media to share, "Robert De Niro is playing a top Irish gangster in a new Martin Scorsese film. The gangster he is playing is called Frank Sheeran. True story".
The Irishman Frank had passed away due to cancer in 2003 before his life story was revealed in the book 'I Heard You Paint Houses' by former prosecutor Charles Brandt.
An adaptation of the book, Scorsese's film centers around the life of the mob hitman. It shows Frank as an old man reflecting on the role he had played in the disappearance of union labor leader James Hoffa (Al Pacino).
Frank had alleged that he had murdered Hoffa by shooting him in the back of the head two times in Detroit. Hoffa's murder was one out of dozens of killings that Frank had admitted to.
The unexpected link between Frank and Ed comes after the 'Shape of You' singer had said he was taking a break.