Note: contains spoilers for Game of Thrones season 8, episode 1
Ed Sheeran's cameo on Game of Thrones counts among the show's more controversial moments, with fans and even cast members objecting to his brief appearance.
The singer-songwriter played a Lannister soldier opposite Maisie Williams (Arya Stark) in the season seven premiere – he hasn't been seen since, but some fans were left wondering whether Sheeran's character was killed off in the spectacular climax to 'The Spoils of War'.
Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) decimated the Lannister forces with her dragons in said episode – so was Ed one of the unlucky troops burnt to a crisp?
Well, Game of Thrones' season eight opener appears to have finally revealed his fate... and it's not pleasant.
A scene in the episode sees Bronn (Jerome Flynn) 'enjoying the attentions' of three serving girls, but growing annoyed as they gossip about the fate of the Lannister soldiers throughout.
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One of the girls mentions how a ginger-haired soldier, named "Eddie", had his face burnt off in the skirmish. And no longer has any eyelids. Ouch.
We're taking that as confirmation that Sheeran's not coming back for a second GoT cameo, and possibly as an apology from showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss for putting him in the series in the first place.
In his defence, the 'Shape of You' musician did previously anticipate his character's grisly off-screen demise. "I doubt I'm going to survive for that long, to be honest, when there are dragons in the world," he said in 2017. "No-one wants to see me come back."
Still, could be worse. Just ask poor Ned Umber.
Game of Thrones season 8 airs on HBO in the US and Sky Atlantic and NOW TV in the UK.
