IRISH SINGER SINÉAD O’Connor has been named one of the most influential women of the past 100 years by Time Magazine.
The list – which includes singer Aretha Franklin, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and pilot Amelia Earhart – was compiled by Time and includes a ‘Woman of the Year’ for each year since 1920.
O’Connor was named 1992 Woman of the Year for challenging the Catholic Church by ripping apart a photograph of Pope John Paul II on TV show Saturday Night Live in October that year and for speaking openly about the abuse she suffered.
“She was still widely condemned—and her career took a significant blow,” said actor and director Olivia Wilde, writing in Time.
“As an Irishwoman, O’Connor was aware of the danger of criticising a powerful entity like the church,” writes Wilde.
“She took that risk in order to publicly demand justice for children who were sexually abused by members of the clergy.
“Nine years after her performance [on Saturday Night Life], Pope John Paul II acknowledged and apologised for the church’s long history of sexual abuse.
“In recent years, O’Connor has been vocal about her mental-health struggles, once again laying herself bare for the world. She remains an example of the power of provoking necessary, if unpopular, conversations—and the courage it takes to do so,” said Wilde.
In 2018, O’Connor, who recently returned to performing, converted to Islam and now goes by the name Shuhada Sadaqat.
Reacting to Time Magazine’s list, she said: “Truly honoured and delighted to have been included in Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential women of the last 100 years. Brought a little tear to my eye.”
In September last year, O’Connor made headlines after she returned to music and performed her Nothing Compares 2 U hit on the Late Late Show.
A video of her performance was shared more than 4,000 times on Twitter with many tweeting their support for her in response.
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