Ed Sheeran claims he'll quit music if found guilty of plagiarising song

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Ed Sheeran has said he’ll leave the music industry if he loses his copyright infringement trial.

The 32-year-old Grammy winner is currently embroiled in a legal battle which centres on his 2015 track Thinking Out Loud and Marvin Gaye’s hit, Let’s Get It On.

Sheeran took the stand in New York last week, where he argued his case against Kathryn Townsend Griffin, the daughter of Ed Townsend, who worked with Gaye's on his 1973 hit, 'Let's Get It On'.

She alleges that the 32-year-old mimicked the iconic tune when creating his number one 'Thinking Out Loud' back in 2014.

She claims there are 'striking similarities' between the two tracks, as well as 'overt common elements' that violate their copyright.

Sheeran has been adamant that he's no cheat, and never copied anything from Gaye's back catalogue.

Speaking in a Manhattan court on Monday, the dad-of-two – who denies claims he copied Gaye’s song – reportedly took to the stand and vowed he’d be ‘done’ with music altogether if he’s found guilty.

According to MailOnline, the British singer-songwriter said: "If that happens, I’m done, I’m stopping."

Sheeran made the comments after being asked about the toll the trial is taking on him by his lawyer Ilene Farkas and added: "I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it."

Sheeran’s song Thinking Out Loud dominated charts when it was released in 2015, but just two years later, Townsend’s heirs filed a lawsuit against Sheeran for copyright infringement, claiming that Thinking Out Loud copied the ‘heart’ of Gaye’s Let’s Get It On, including the harmony, melody and rhythm.