'You hadn’t the guts to support her': Morrissey decries music industry after Sinéad O’Connor’s death
Morrissey and Sinéad O'Connor
Morrissey has written a vociferous tribute to the late Sinéad O’Connor, decrying the media and music industry over a lack of support for the singer.
Praising her “proud vulnerability”, he writes on his website: “There is a certain music industry hatred for singers who don’t ‘fit in’ (this I know only too well), and they are never praised until death – when, finally, they can’t answer back […] You praise her now ONLY because it is too late. You hadn’t the guts to support her when she was alive and she was looking for you.
“The press will label artists as pests because of what they withhold … and they would call Sinead sad, fat, shocking, insane … oh but not today! Music CEOs who had put on their most charming smile as they refused her for their roster are queueing-up to call her a ‘feminist icon’, and 15 minute celebrities and goblins from hell and record labels of artificially aroused diversity are squeezing onto Twitter to twitter their jibber-jabber … when it was YOU who talked Sinead into giving up … because she refused to be labelled, and she was degraded, as those few who move the world are always degraded.”
The former Smiths frontman compares her to similarly troubled female stars who died relatively young — Judy Garland, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Marilyn Monroe and Billie Holiday — adding: “She was a challenge, and she couldn’t be boxed-up, and she had the courage to speak when everyone else stayed safely silent. She was harassed simply for being herself. Her eyes finally closed in search of a soul she could call her own.”
Ms O’Connor suffered from huge public pressure and scrutiny during her life, including for her criticism of the Catholic church, her conversion to Islam and her mental ill health.
Her death was announced on Wednesday in a brief statement by her family, who said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
Tributes have poured in for the Grammy-winning Irish singer, who was propelled to international stardom in 1990 with her version of the hit ballad .
The cover of the Prince ballad topped charts around the world, but O’Connor always wanted to be a protest singer rather than a pop star and over the years she became well-known for being outspoken about her social and political views.
She sparked controversy and made headlines in 1992 when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II on US TV show Saturday Night Live, sparking a ferocious backlash.
She frequently spoke out about the child abuse scandal in the Catholic Church.
She was later ordained as a priest by a bishop from an independent Catholic group and announced that she wanted to be known as Mother Bernadette Mary.
In 2018 she announced that she had converted to Islam and changed her name to Shuhada’ Davitt, later Shuhada Sadaqat.
The singer also spoke openly about suffering from mental health problems and, during an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2007, she said she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had suffered with suicidal thoughts.
She told Winfrey that medication had helped her find more balance, but said it was “a work in progress”.
In January 2022, her 17-year-old son Shane was found dead after being reported missing two days earlier.
Morrissey was a long-time fan of Ms O’Connor, and the pair were pictured together in 1991 by Linder Sterling. His former Smiths rhythm section, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce, played with Ms O’Connor, with Mr Rourke also playing on her UK and US No 1 album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.
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