'Thank you Sinéad' — Stars around the world pay tribute to 'warrior queen' Sinéad O'Connor
The front page of Thursday's 'Irish Examiner' paid tribute to the late Sinéad O'Connor.
Touching and tender and at times searing tributes have been pouring in for Sinéad O’Connor from stars all over the world, including Massive Attack, Alanis Morrisette, Annie Lennox, and Russell Crowe.
British folk singer Beth Orton said Sinéad “sang her” through the loss of her mother, and that she was furious and lost for words following her sudden death.
“All this bullshit about mental health and supposedly supporting artists yet nothing gets done to protect the vulnerable,” she said.
“Sinéad should have been better taken care of. She was an artist in the highest and most righteous form.
“She should have been held with the upmost love and care and respect.
“Sinéad sang me through losing my mother, she gave me my tears and allowed me to feel a grief I wouldn't have understood without her honesty and truth.
“She deserved medals of bravery for her service. I'm glad she got to see some love in the last couple of years, but too little too late to save her health. I hope she finds the peace she was searching for all the way through.”
Friend and fellow Dublin singer-songwriter Damien Dempsey described Sinéad as a "warrior queen"
"No one on earth could sing like her in my humble opinion," Dempsey wrote in a post on his Facebook page.
He said that, on the occasions in which he and O'Connor worked together in the studio he had "sat at her feet every night and watched in awe as she waked the dead and soared like an eagle, singing our ancestors alive, and fighting the eternal fight of good against evil."
He said that she was "an incredible force of nature" who "helped people through life with her bejewelled poetry.
"She was an unbelievable bard, her poetry, like her voice transported people somewhere, hoisted you up on the Eagles back and off you went," he wrote.
Dempsey said his friend "had the soul of a punk, fearless in what she believed in, and wielded her art like a sword to cut at the psychopaths of the earth, and I believe she’s happy now to be with two people she really missed who were taken too soon, her Mammy and her son."
"Thank you Sinéad for your brave wonderful example of how to stand up to the powers that be and give others the strength to do the same, the good you’ve done is rippling across the earth and always will, a great legacy you can be fiercely proud of."
Writing on her Instagram page, American writer Glennon Doyle asked why several tributes to O'Connor described her as having "battled her own demons."
"She was one of the very few brave enough to battle real demons: child predators, those who protected them in God's name, homophobia, greed that kills."
"She battled demons, yes," Doyle wrote, "but they were us, not her."
In a tweet, author Stephanie Preissner echoed those sentiments: “I think Sinéad would be calling bullshit on an awful lot of people’s outpouring today.”
Canadian singer Alanis Morrisette said Sinéad inspired her, and that her “passion, poetry, and unapologetic expression raised the bar on artistry and female empowerment”.
“Her questioning of societal norms deeply influenced culture’s appreciation of female complexity,” she said.
“Her ability to vulnerably dwell on the small part of the bell-shaped curve was thought-provoking, stirring and inspiring. I’m feeling empathy for Ireland, for the world, and for all of us who are saddened by this news.”
Eurythmics legend, Annie Lennox, said Sinéad bared her soul and shared her brilliance.
“Through exquisite artistry, your incredible voice. Fierce and fragile. Lioness and lamb," she wrote.
"Sweet singing bird. Keenly tuned. Trembling. Tip-toeing along the high wire. Or stamping the ground. Raw. Wounded. Fearless.”
Actor Jamie Lee Curtis recalled hearing Sinéad sing a cappella in an empty chapel in Ireland.
“It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard in my life. We then went together to see Eminem at a festival. I loved her. Her music. Her life. She was a victim of child abuse and a huge change agent for unfair and unjust draconian laws that she helped change in Ireland. She was a warrior. She was a rebel,” she said.
And Australian actor Russell Crowe recalled in a series of tweets meeting her outside a pub in Dalkey, a few years ago, while working in Ireland.
“I had the opportunity to tell her she was a hero of mine. When her second cup was taking on the night air, she rose, embraced us all and strode away into the fog-dimmed streetlights. We sat there the four of us and variously expressed the same thing. What an amazing woman. Peace be with your courageous heart Sinéad,” he said.
Massive Attack, who collaborated with Sinéad on their album 100th Window, said they were blessed to have had the honour of working with her.
“Honestly. To bear witness to her voice, intimately in the studio. On the road every single person stopped — dropped their tools during soundcheck. The fire in her eyes made you understand that her activism was a soulful reflex and not a political gesture.”
Tori Amos called her “a force of nature” and added: “Such passion, such intense presence. A beautiful soul who battled her own personal demons courageously. Be at peace dear Sinéad, you will forever be in our hearts.”
Peter Gabriel said the path she chose was "always difficult and uncompromising but at every turn she would show her spirit and her courage", while UB40, Lily Allen, Lisa Stansfield, Ron Sexsmith and Belinda Carlisle were among other international music stars to pay tribute.
Multiple award-winning singer, Alison Moyet, said she had wanted to reach out to Sinéad often but didn’t.
“I remember her launch. Astounding presence. Voice that cracked stone with force and by increment. As beautiful as any girl around and never traded on that card. I loved that about her. Iconoclast,” she said.
Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav said Sinéad's death broke his heart.
“She was very supportive of Public Enemy and she was a legend that’s gone too soon. My condolences to her son and family,” he said.
Christy Moore described her as "our warrior woman - fearless yet fragile" while Declan O'Rourke said she was "gifted, honest and uncompromising".
"Her outright bravery and artistry blazed equally brightly for me. Few can be more deserving of the rest she has unquestionably won, if far too soon," he said.
Denise Chaila said Sinéad "deserved better", Imelda May said her heart was broken at the death of her “dear friend, my mate, my sister”, Brian Kennedy said in one breath she could move “from being a lioness to a lamb”, while Mary Black said: “Every word she sang and any song you felt she meant from the bottom of the heart. She was fragile and fearful, but fearless as well."
Fergal, Mike and Noel from The Cranberries said they were “shocked and saddened” to hear of her death and Finbar Furey described her as “a wonderful friend, a brave and passionate lady who bore her heart and soul through her incredible music to everything she believed in”.
Joe Falvey, who was instrumental in Sinéad's music education, said she was "so pure, so genuine and so real".
“There was no compromising. And I was proud of her. And I was very pleased that when she did her biography I was the only teacher she mentioned,” he said.
Hot Press editor Niall Stokes described her presence as “extraordinary”.
“She had those beautiful eyes. She was an extraordinarily striking person, and she went on to make some of the greatest records in Irish music history. Her music embodied a view of the world and a political stance as well, and she really made an extraordinary contribution across all of those areas for people in Ireland," he said.
“She didn't care about commercial success. She cared about making great music, about race, some great songs. And, you know, that's a way of looking at the world. It's a way of looking at your life mission. And but it is true that in many respects it means she broke the mould for Irish women musicians because she was writing the songs and producing the records.”
Film-maker Neil Jordan, who worked with Sinéad on and movies, described her death as “tragic but not inevitable”.
“I would like to have seen the work she could have done if she had come through her troubles,” he said.
UCC Professor Conor O’Mahony, the government’s former Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, said of Sinéad: “You were better to Ireland than Ireland was to you," and broadcaster, John Creedon, who devoted his RTÉ One radio show on Thursday night to her music and memory, described the outpouring of grief as a “surreal experience”.
“The avalanche of love for Sinéad that rolled into the show from around the world was truly staggering,” he said.
Yusuf/Cat Stevens described Sinéad, who was known more recently as Shuhada Sadaqat, as a tender soul.
“May God, Most Merciful, grant her everlasting peace. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajioon - Verily we belong to God, and verily to Him do we return,” he said in a tweet.
Dr Amanullah de Sondy, head of religions at UCC, recalled Sinéad’s decision to wear a rainbow top with traditional hijab on .
“Sinéad inspired queer Muslims globally through this simple act of love and defiance. She redefined conversion and didn’t fit the neat boxes of religion and theology,” he said.
Dr Umar Al Qadri, chair of Irish Muslim Council, said she faced tremendous trials and difficulties that only further highlighted her strength and resilience.
“Countless souls found inspiration in your journey, as you fearlessly represented the essence of our shared humanity. Your legacy will continue to resonate in the hearts of those you touched. Your strength, resilience, and unwavering search for truth have left an indelible mark on the world.
"Your absence is deeply mourned, but your spirit will forever remain a guiding light for those who yearn for understanding and connection,” he said.
Canadian rocker Bryan Adams said he loved working with her making photographs and doing gigs in Ireland together, Billy Bragg said she was “braver than brave”, and former boxer Frank Bruno said she was not afraid of raising her voice.
“I understand sadly the mental health demons tormented her throughout her life. The Last 12 hours there have been wonderful tributes about her. All I can say RIP Sinéad. Nothing & No one compared to you. With no more demons sleep well and peacefully,” he said.
Actor Chris O'Dowd described the show as a "beautiful recollection of Sinéad's endless art" and said: "She took endless shit from the world, and made mighty music for us from it."
Comedian Dara Ó Briain said: “I hope she realised how much love there was for her.”
