Museum pulls wax figure of Sinead O'Connor after complaints it does not compare to the real thing
A wax figure of Sinéad O'Connor that did not compare to how the late singer looked caused a minor meltdown among fans and family members, leading a Dublin museum on Friday to pull it from its collection.
The National Wax Museum Plus apologised to O'Connor's family and said it would immediately begin creating a more accurate representation of the singer best known for her 1990 cover of Prince's ballad Nothing Compares 2 U.
John O'Connor said it was a "hideous" representation of his sister that looked like a cross between something in a department store window display and a 1960s sci-fi TV show that used electronic puppets.
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The wax sculpture was denounced by her friends and family. AP
"When I saw it online yesterday I was shocked," he told Irish broadcaster RTE. "I thought it looked something between a mannequin and something out of the 'Thunderbirds.'"
The museum had unveiled the figure Thursday in honor of the first anniversary of her death. O'Connor, 56, died in her London home of natural causes on July 26, 2023.
Paddy Dunning, the Dublin museum's director who called O'Connor a longtime friend, said she deserved a better tribute.
"In response to the public's feedback regarding the wax figure, we acknowledge that the current representation did not meet our high standards or the expectations of Sinead's devoted fans," the museum said in a statement.
John O'Connor said he was upset by the timing of the unveiling and the fact that no one had contacted his family.
"As I said earlier, the world may have lost a star, and they did, but I lost my sister," he said. "It just should not have been put there even without checking with somebody: 'Is this all right?'"
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O'Connor was one of the most controversial musicians of our time. AP
O'Connor, who became a controversial figure after she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live in 1992, was considered a national treasure in Ireland, where she had started out performing on the streets of Dublin.
Fans filled the street of her former seaside hometown during a funeral procession in August following a private service attended by then-Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, President Michael Higgins and musical luminaries such as Bono of U2 and Bob Geldof of the Boomtown Rats.
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