He also released a song dedicated to her.
Legendary country musician Kris Kristofferson passed away at the age of 88 on Sunday, September 29.
A representative announced he had passed away “peacefully” on Saturday at his home in Hawaii, surrounded by family.
The statement said Kristofferson was a “peacenik, a revolutionary, an actor, a superstar, a sex symbol, and a family man.”
The singer achieved worldwide fame for his songwriting, becoming one of the most recognisable faces and voices in the country music.
While he will be remembered for his incredible career, the US singer will also be fondly remembered for his support of Sinéád O’Connor throughout backlash against her protests against the Catholic church.
Kris Kristofferson remembered for support of Sinéad O’Connor on stage
The late Irish protest singer drew controversy during her appearance on Saturday Night Live in October 1992, where she ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II.
The week after, O’Connor appeared on stage in New York’s Maddison Square Garden at a Bob Dylan tribute concert, where she was vehemently booed by the crowd.
Kristofferson, who was also playing at the concert, comforted O’Connor while she was receiving abuse from the crowd, telling her, ‘don’t let the bastards get you down’.
Speaking to RTÉ’s Miriam O’Callaghan in 2010, Kristofferson recalled the moment, saying: “I went out. They told me to get her off the stage and I said, ‘I’m not about to do [that].’
“I went out and I said, ‘Don’t let the bastards get you down’. And she said, ‘I’m not down’ – and she sang.
“It was very courageous. It just seemed to me wrong booing that little girl out there, but she’s always had courage.”
After the incident, the Texas singer-songwriter released a song dedicated to O’Connor called ‘Sister Sinéád’, where he sang of the ‘bald headed brave little girl’.
Throughout his career, Kristofferson won three Grammy awards for best country song and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2004.
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