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UK musical icon Morrissey has lambasted an outpouring of tributes following the death of singer Sinead O’Connor, calling them “moronic”, “parroted vomit” and “sterile slop”.
Social Media has been flooded with tributes to O’Connor who died on Thursday at 56, including reminisces from people who loved and knew her professionally.
Amongst the tributes was one from Kiwi star Russell Crowe, who recalled meeting O’Connor last year, on X (Twitter). The pair ended up sharing a cup of tea and discussing everything from Us politics to her “fond memories of New Zealand”.
Other celebrities to pay tribute to the star included Patton Oswalt, Jamie Lee Curtis, soundtrack composer Bear McCreary, Ice T, Toni Collette, Janelle Monae and Irish President, amongst many others.
In a blog post to his website, Morrissey, who was a long time fan and supporter of O’Connor said, “there is a certain music industry hatred for singers who don’t ‘fit in’”.
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Morrissey has called some tributes to the late singer, Sinead O’Connor, ‘moronic’.
“They are never praised until death – when, finally, they can’t answer back,” the former frontman of beloved 80s band The Smiths wrote.
He goes on to accuse the “cruel playpen of fame” of gushing “with praise for Sinead today … with the usual moronic labels of ‘icon’ and ‘legend’”.
“You praise her now ONLY because it is too late [sic]. You hadn’t the guts to support her when she was alive and she was looking for you,” he wrote.
”She was degraded, as those few who move the world are always degraded. Why is ANYBODY surprised that Sinead O’Connor is dead?[sic]”
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Kiwi star Russell Crowe shared his memory of meeting Sinead O’Connor in Ireland last year.
O’Connor had a close relationship with The Smiths. After the band broke up, drummer Mike Joyce and bassist Andy Rourke became part of her live backing band. Rourke also played on her second studio album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990).
O’Connor’s cause of death has not been disclosed, and London police, who found her at her home, say her death is not being treated as suspicious.
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The singer rose to fame with her rendition of Nothing Compares 2 U.
The singer-songwriter was best known for her albums The Lion and the Cobra, and Am I Not Your Girl?, and provocative statements and performances, such as tearing up a picture of Pope John Paul II during a live TV performance in the US.
The raw, vulnerable video for her 1990 hit, a cover of Prince’s ballad Nothing Compares 2 U, made her an international star.
In recent years she had private struggled with her mental health and the loss of her 17-year-old son, Shane in 2022.
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Morrissey performing with The Smiths in the late 80s. Members of the band would co on to tour with O’Connor after The Smiths split.
In his blog post, Morrissey compared O’Connor to other female icons who died too soon, often after hounding by entertainment press and the public.
“Who cared enough to save Judy Garland, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Marilyn Monroe, Billie Holiday?… Sinead doesn’t need your sterile slop.”
Morrissey has faced condemnation in recent years for his support of right wing politicians, and problematic statements about race and religion, to the point that Billy Bragg once called him “the Oswald Mosley of pop”.
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