A new waxwork of the late Sinéad O’Connor has been unveiled in Dublin, and the reactions on social media have been less than complimentary.
The beloved Irish singer and activist died in July 2023 at the age of 56, later confirmed to have been from natural causes. With the one-year anniversary arriving today (July 26), the National Wax Museum Plus in the Irish capital has revealed their own tribute.
The sculpture has been met with some scathing reactions online, with some suggesting it lacks the level of detail you would expect and others questioning why it has been placed among sculptures of characters from Star Wars.
Watch the unveiling below:
A wax sculpture of Sinéad O'Connor has been unveiled at the National Wax Museum in Dublin today pic.twitter.com/SP2EtkMWm4
— TheJournal.ie (@thejournal_ie) July 25, 2024
“A wax sculpture made by Stevie Wonder,” reads one reply on X to the unveiling, while another asks: “And she’s next to Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Vader because….????”
A wax sculpture made by Stevie Wonder
— don (@donjo65_) July 25, 2024
And she's next to Qui-Gon Jinn and Darth Vader because….??????
— Beano (@bolough) July 25, 2024
“The new Sinead O’Connor wax work looks like they just found an old mannequin in a skip and said, yep that will do. The absolute hack of it,” wrote one X user. See some other reactions to the waxwork below.
The new Sinead O'Connor wax work looks like they just found an old mannequin in a skip and said, yep that will do.
The absolute hack of it. pic.twitter.com/38L54uNKny— Caolán Mc Aree (@Caolanmcaree) July 25, 2024
They've unveiled a Sinead O'Connor waxwork to mark the first anniversary of her death but I don't remember her ever hosting The Crystal Maze pic.twitter.com/uR8owLJoBp
— SHANE REACTION (@imshanereaction) July 25, 2024
can’t get over how much the Sinead O’Connor waxwork reminds me of Hood from Thunderbirds pic.twitter.com/jyZIvQzI37
— Liam (@LiamLambrini) July 25, 2024
Same sculptor? pic.twitter.com/3yKP7AzFXC
— Brian Jonathan Cowan (@_briancowan_) July 25, 2024
The museum’s sculptor PJ Heraghty told the Irish Examiner that they had attempted to capture O’Connor’s character as a “sad individual”, while the museum director Paddy Dunning added: “We put her as a serious artist, in that period of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U,’ which was an emotional scene, an emotional video. I think it touched everybody’s hearts — somebody crying literally a real tear.”
O’Connor’s loss continues to be felt deeply across the music world, with Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan recently reflecting on his friendship with her.
He described her as “very, very honest. I mean, almost to a fault”, adding: “This bare-your-soul honesty. Such a beautiful woman, such an incredible talent – just in awe of her talent.
“Of course my friends were calling me on the side, asking me for advice on what to do with the rock star living in their attic. They love her and they’re trying to support her through a very difficult time.”
Elsewhere, O’Connor’s daughter performed an emotional cover of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ in March. It took place at Carnegie Hall in New York at a tribute concert to both O’Connor and The Pogues’ Shane MacGowan.