Russell Crowe has shared a moving tribute to late Irish music legend Sinead O’Connor following news of her death.
The Gladiator actor recalled meeting the 56-year-old singer outside a pub in South Dublin after a chance encounter last year.
While enjoying a pint, the Oscar winner explained that one of his pals clocked O’Connor walking by and raced to meet her, which led to their memorable evening together.
He wrote on Elon Musk’s X app: “There under streetlights with mist on my breath, I met Sinéad. She looked in my eyes, and uttered with disarming softness, ‘Oh, it’s you, Russell’.
When her second cup was taking on the night air, she rose, embraced us all and strode away into the fog-dimmed streetlights.
— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) July 26, 2023
We sat there the four of us and variously expressed the same thing. What an amazing woman.
Peace be with your courageous heart Sinéad.
“She came with us back to the table and sat in the cold and ordered a hot tea. In a conversation without fences we roamed through the recent Dublin heatwave, local politics, American politics.
“The ongoing fight for indigenous recognition in many places, but particularly in Australia, her warm memory of New Zealand, faith, music, movies and her brother the writer. I had the opportunity to tell her she was a hero of mine.”
The 59-year-old went on to brand O’Connor “amazing” and stressed the impact their chance meeting has had on him ever since.
He added: “When her second cup was taking on the night air, she rose, embraced us all and strode away into the fog-dimmed streetlights.
“We sat there the four of us and variously expressed the same thing. What an amazing woman. Peace be with your courageous heart Sinéad.”
O’Connor’s family confirmed her death on Wednesday night in a statement to irish media.
It read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
She was best known for her single Nothing Compares 2 U, released in 1990, which went on to hit number one around the world.
The singer, who was outspoken in her social and political views, brought out 10 studio albums in all that made her a global superstar.
The singer’s debut album, The Lion and the Cobra, was released in 1987 and entered the Top 40 in the UK and Ireland.
But it was her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, which brought her global fame with the heartrending cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U.
The simple yet unforgettable accompanying video featured almost nothing but a close-up shot of the shaven-headed singer performing the ballad with tears rolling down her cheeks.
It reached number one on the Billboard Music Awards and the album went on to sell more than seven million copies. She went on to release another eight studio albums.
Earlier this year, O’Connor received the inaugural award for Classic Irish Album at the RTÉ Choice Music Awards.
Her death comes just a year after her son Shane passed away last year aged 17. His body was recovered in the Bray area of Wicklow, Ireland, after he was reported missing.
She is survived by her three remaining children.
She was also known for her outspoken activism across a number of issues, and frequently spoke out about the child abuse scandal in the Catholic Church.
In 1992, O’Connor famously tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul II while appearing as a guest on Saturday Night Live. Her actions resulted in her being banned for life by broadcaster NBC and sparked protests in the US.
