Ed Sheeran has revealed the "awkward" chat he had to have with Elton John.
The Shape of You singer admitted he had tried to correct his friend and mentor in the past after Elton repeatedly mispronounced his surname.
During a radio interview with Capital Breakfast, Ed, 34, was played a clip of Elton, 78, calling him "Ed Shirr-ann" instead of using the ordinary pronunciation, which is closer to "Sheer-in".
Laughing, he confessed he had attempted to steer Elton in the right direction.
"I know, mate," he said. "I've actually had the awkward conversation with him, being like, 'I've known you for 15 years, it's not Shirr-ann', but it's just one of those things."
When the show's hosts then suggested Ed "couldn't really argue with him", the Perfect singer replied, "Well, I can. I can, and I do - but I don't know, I think it's quite nice."
He added he was comfortable with Elton's quirky pronunciation of his name, arguing it was "just his way".
"It's just his way," he said fondly. "It's like my parents always call me Edward. I'm not Ed to them. I'll always be Edward, and I just think I'll always be Ed Shirr-ann to Elton."
In 2021, Ed told the Famous Firsts podcast that Elton had long been one of his biggest supporters.
"From the beginning, he's been a mentor," he recalled. "From the beginning, he's been like 'anytime you want to call me, anytime you need advice'."