The Guardian’s obituary to “oversharing” Sinéad O’Connor sparks controversy

Fans of the legendary Irish singer have hit out against the obit.

As a huge number of people have taken to social media to pay touching tributes to Sinéad O'Connor after the announcement of her passing on Wednesday (26 July), one Guardian obituary to the legendary Irish singer and musician has come under fire. The lengthy article was published by The Guardian and dives deep into both the 'Nothing Compares 2 U' singer's career and personal life. However, several fans of O'Connor's have hit out against the obit, with it being described as "unnecessarily judgemental", "nasty" and "unfair". In particular, fans have taken issue with the following two passages in The Guardian piece:

"If the global superstardom conferred by Nothing Compares 2 U was brief – she lacked the determination needed to keep a top-flight pop career aloft – O’Connor nonetheless remained a household name for the rest of her life." "Her fervour was accompanied by an inability to edit her pronouncements: years before oversharing became the internet’s default mode, she regularly revealed troubling personal details about her mental health, relationships and family, causing one journalist to mock her as “the crazy woman in pop’s attic”, to which she took great exception."

You can read some of the reactions to the obit below: https://twitter.com/tabitasurge/status/1684452313727991808 https://twitter.com/radhikabordia/status/1684488576958857218 https://twitter.com/alexlarman/status/1684476926721916928 https://twitter.com/houseoflabrys/status/1684445751974285318 https://twitter.com/DonnaHennessy/status/1684474961732276224 https://twitter.com/Des_The_Dog/status/1684473463782666240 https://twitter.com/RossMcCaff/status/1684474179301658626 Meanwhile, following the news of O'Connor's passing at the age of 56, Oscar-winner Russell Crowe took to Twitter to share a heartwarming story about meeting the singer in Dublin last year. You can read about that encounter right here, as well as about more tributes to O'Connor at this link. Related articles:

• Sinead O’Connor’s family release statement following iconic singer’s death
• Russell Crowe recalls lovely encounter with Sinéad O'Connor outside Dublin pub
• Heartbreaking tributes pour in as Sinead O’Connor passes away aged 56
• Sinead O'Connor, acclaimed Irish singer and activist, dies aged 56

---