Ed Sheeran returns to Twitter amid 'Game of Thrones' backlash

Update (2:20 p.m. ET): Ed Sheeran's disappearance from Twitter appears to be short-lived.

The singer's account is back online hours after it suddenly vanished. All of Sheeran's tweets since April 2015 have been removed, and the singer's more than 19 million followers have been reduced to a few thousand.

Original story: International pop star Ed Sheeran appeared to have quit Twitter on Tuesday, days after his cameo appearance on HBO’s “Game of Thrones” generated widespread backlash.

The singer's Twitter account has gone offline.

The move follows Sheeran's cameo on the season premiere of "Game of Thrones" Sunday night. Sheeran's appearance as a singing Lannister soldier became a buzzed-about topic on social media. The cameo drew widespread criticism, with many social media users claiming Sheeran’s role was too distracting.

Sheeran’s cameo occurred amid a “Game of Thrones” season premiere that broke viewership records for HBO. More than 16 million viewers tuned in to watch the first episode of the show’s seventh season, up 50% from last year’s debut, according to Variety.

The 26-year-old told Britain's Sun tabloid this month that he was no longer using his Twitter account aside from posting his Instagram pictures to it. He called Twitter a platform for "saying mean things" and was trying to "work out why people dislike me so much."

Sheeran remains on Instagram , where he posted a picture of himself climbing mountains in Peru on Monday.

Sheeran's representatives didn't immediately return a request for comment Tuesday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.