Hundreds of fans lined the streets of Bray, a seaside town south of Dublin, Tuesday (August 8) to say goodbye to Grammy-nominated musician Sinead O'Connor, who called the town home during the final years of her life. The funeral procession passed by the town following a private memorial service.
A vintage Volkswagen camper van played Bob Marley's music, one of O'Connor's musical influences, in front of the hearse carrying her remains, which mourners tossed flowers at.
Mourners have been lining the streets where the funeral procession would take place for over an hour, singing O'Connor's music while waiting for the cortege to arrive, the Associated Press reported.
A private funeral service was held, where Irish President Michael Higgins and Prime Minister Leo Varadkar were in attendance.
O'Connor was reported to have died on July 26 after she was found unresponsive at her London home. While authorities have not detailed the cause of her death, they said her death was not suspicious.
Her family has invited the people of Bray to pay their last respects to their beloved neighbor.
"Sinead loved living in Bray and the people in it," her family said in a statement. "With this procession, her family would like to acknowledge the outpouring of love for her from the people of Wicklow [county] and beyond, since she left ... to go to another place."
In response, a YouTube channel called The Tenth Man made a video featuring a giant installation on the cliffside of Bray Head, close to her home.
"Eire loves Sinead," the text said, using the Irish name of Ireland.
Fans also left handwritten messages and flowers at the entrance of O'Connor's former home in Bray, thanking her for sharing her music and life with everyone.
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Troubled Child of The Troubles
O'Connor had a troubled childhood and teenage years due to her mother physically and mentally abusing her, as well as because of a dark period in Irish history called "The Troubles."
She began her music career during the release of her first album in 1987, but rose to fame after becoming the iconic musician covering Prince's song "Nothing Compares 2 U."
Alongside her fame was her nonconforming notoriety, specifically her signature shaved head and her most iconic stunt in 1992, when she tore a picture of Pope John Paul II to protest the Catholic Church's cover-ups of clerical sex abuse scandals during that time, a matter still haunting the Vatican to this day.
In her later years, O'Connor revealed she was suffering from anxiety and suicidal thoughts and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the early 2000s. She was also severely affected by the alleged suicide of her son Shane O'Connor in 2022.
Related Article: Nothing Compares 2 Her: Irish Singer Sinéad O'Connor Dead at 56
