'My housemate died'

Charlie Busted tells tvhits! how he coped when he discovered his friend had died..

House mates..
At my boarding school, each year was divided into houses. People in your house become part of your community and Ed was my housemate for four years. Recently, I got a call from another school friend who told me that Ed had died suddenly at his house in Switzerland. I couldn't believe it, so I rang my old housemaster, who confirmed it was true. I also spoke to one of Ed's best friends, a guy he grew up with. He was in such a bad way about it. It's just so shocking, really weird that one of my mates died so young.

Lost contact
I hadn't spoken to Ed for a while - since I left school everything's been so hectic! But it came as a real surprise when I was told. No-one I have ever known has died before. It feels so strange to think he's gone off the face of the earth forever.

Memorial song
I sang at the memorial. There was silence and I had to get up. My throat was hurting so much I didn't think I'd produce a note. It was so tense. His family were sitting in the front row crying. I was like, 'How am I going to do this?' I sang Tears In Heaven Eric Clapton - he wrote it for his five-year-old son who died after falling out of a window. It was hard, but I'm glad I did it. My dad said it was the best I've sung in my life. I was a million times more nervous singing at the service than performing on stage. I can stand in front of a million people with a guitar and sing and I wouldn't think about it, but that day was nerve wracking. Imagine if I had forgotten the words.

Looking forward
In a way, it helped me deal with his death and death in general. I knew him really well and it was a huge shock. It made me think. All the advice I can give is that time heals everything. When something major like this happens you won't forget, but you'll get through it with time.