Wax figure of Sinéad O’Connor pulled after public backlash

Evan Agostini/Getty Images

By Jill Lances

A wax figure of the late Sinéad O'Connor has been pulled from Dublin's National Wax Museum following uproar from the public, it was revealed on RTÉ Radio's Liveline.

The figure was unveiled Thursday, the day before the one-year anniversary of Sinéad's death, and drew tons of backlash on social media. Sinead's brother John O'Connor also voiced his displeasure.

"When I saw it online yesterday I was shocked. I thought it looked something between a mannequin and something out of the Thunderbirds," O'Connor said on Liveline. "I thought Sinéad would have been very fond of looking well, and she certainly did, and if it was supposed to be a representation of her in her early 20s when she did 'Nothing Compares 2 U,' it just looked nothing like her. I thought it was hideous."

He added, “A friend of mine said to me last night that he’d seen better in Shaws [department store], in the window.”
John also suggested a statue of Sinéad in Dublin would be a better way to honor her.
The museum has since decided to remove the statue, with museum director Paddy Dunning apologizing to the family. He also blamed the blunder on the statue’s sculptor, PJ Joseph Hegarty, noting he delivered it the night before the unveiling.
“When I had a look at the statue, I walked in to launch it, and when I saw it, I too didn’t get that feeling that I normally get from PJ’s fantastic work,” he said. “My heart sunk a bit.”
He later noted, “I had to take the decision to cancel the statue and we’ll go again and we’ll remodel and we have to do better on this occasion.”

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