Sinead O’Connor’s prescience ‘was unbelievable’, broadcaster Dave Fanning says
Sinead O’Connor’s prescience was “unbelievable,” broadcaster Dave Fanning has said in a tribute to the Irish singer.
The 56-year-old was found “unresponsive” at her London home on Wednesday, 26 July, police said.
In 1992, O’Connor sparked controversy when she ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live in protest at the Catholic church.
“She said Vatican was a nest of devils and a lot of people were going ‘What is wrong with this woman?’,” Fanning said.
“Ten years later, when the Pope came out and said, Well, actually, there’s been a lot of bad things... she was 100 per cent correct.”
The 56-year-old was found “unresponsive” at her London home on Wednesday, 26 July, police said.
In 1992, O’Connor sparked controversy when she ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live in protest at the Catholic church.
“She said Vatican was a nest of devils and a lot of people were going ‘What is wrong with this woman?’,” Fanning said.
“Ten years later, when the Pope came out and said, Well, actually, there’s been a lot of bad things... she was 100 per cent correct.”
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00:00 when you have the second album and you have 'Nothing Compares To You' as a major single
00:04 and made her just about the most famous woman in popular culture besides Madonna at the time.
00:10 She decided this is not what I signed up for, I don't want any of this.
00:15 So when she did, as you saw in the report there,
00:17 she sort of said 'fight the real enemy', went on Saturday Night Live,
00:20 tore up the picture of the Pope and it did shock people.
00:23 But her prescience was unbelievable because
00:26 she always made bold public statements about child abuse and organised religion.
00:30 She said Vatican was a nest of devils and a lot of people are going 'what is wrong with this woman?'
00:34 And 10 years later when the Pope came out and said 'well actually there's been a lot of bad things'
00:38 in the next 20 years, 10 times even worse, she was 100% correct and she was one of the first
00:44 types of people who we ever heard say that. And don't forget that was in a country like,
00:48 you know, in Britain, you know, we had cheeky chappy Jimmy Savile with his cigar,
00:53 you know, nobody knew anything and it was really like Sinead really did open doors.
00:58 And also she was a major, major icon for females who realised that,
01:03 you know, they could actually be themselves.
01:05 Because there's an interview in the New York Times last year around the time of her
01:08 autobiography and there's three or four thousand comments underneath.
01:13 You should read those comments, it's astonishing just how much,
01:16 culturally, she meant to so many people living in a patriarchy.