Morrissey criticizes stars commemorating Sinéad O’Connor: ‘You didn’t have the guts to support her’
Musician Morrissey (64), known for his work with The Smiths, has strongly criticized the celebrities who paid tribute to the late Sinéad O’Connor. Her death at the age of 56 was announced on Wednesday.
“From the music industry, there is hatred for singers who don’t fit in, and I know that all too well,” writes Morrissey on the Morrissey Solo website. “They are never praised until they’re dead, when they can no longer respond. You’re praising her now only because it’s too late. You didn’t have the courage to support her when she was alive and needed your help.”
The media also receives a scathing critique. “They called Sinéad fat, sad, shocking, insane… but not today. CEOs of record labels who smiled their brightest when refusing to give her a contract are now lining up to call her a ‘feminist icon.’ And insignificant celebrities, hell-bent imps, and record labels that artificially create diversity are now flocking to Twitter to spew their nonsense. Yet, it was you who caused Sinéad to give up… because she refused to conform to their labels, and like the few people who keep the world turning, she was humiliated, just as they all are.”
Morrissey describes O’Connor as a “challenge.” “You couldn’t put her in a box, and she had the courage to speak out when everyone else stayed safe and silent. She was harassed for being herself. Now her eyes are finally closed, searching for a soul she could call her own.”
The death of the ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ singer was announced on Wednesday. On that day, she was found unconscious in her home in London. When emergency services arrived, O’Connor was pronounced dead. Her death is not considered suspicious.
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