Sinéad O'Connor is being hailed as "lovely" and "compassionate" by the father of Louise Woolcock, a terminally ill 20-year-old who was treated to a week in London by the Irish singer-songwriter in 1991.
On July 29, three days after O'Connor's death was confirmed by her family, James Hawkins shared on Twitter a picture of Philip Woolcock's emotional letter to the editor of The Telegraph.
In his letter entitled "Kindness of a star," Woolcock wrote: "I was greatly saddened by the death of Sinéad O'Connor. She was a very different person behind her fame.
"In 1991, my 20-year-old daughter Louise, was suffering from terminal cancer, when she received a phone call from Sinéad out of the blue.
"Sinéad had heard of Louise's illness from some source, probably the press, as we were raising funds for our local hospice. My daughter was a great admirer of her and loved her music.
"During this long call, Sinéad invited my daughter to travel to London to spend some time with her. Needless to say, Louise was thrilled.
"A few days later, she met Louise at Euston station and, to cut a long story short, Louise had the best week of her short life. They dined, they drank, they danced - but most of all they laughed irreverently.
"Sinéad was at the height of her fame at this time and found it highly amusing that, when they were out, people were asking for Louise's autograph.
"Louise returned home exhausted and happier than I had seen her since her devastating cancer diagnosis.
"It didn't stop there: this lovely, compassionate woman always stayed in touch. She sent Louise wine and flowers and letters right up until her death in 1992.
"On Louise's last visit to London, Sinéad gave my daughter her platinum disco for her song 'Nothing Compares 2 U' and dedicated her Christmas record 'Silent Night' to her.
"During all this time, Sinéad never sought any publicity for these acts of love and compassion. Today my thoughts are with two remarkable women who, I have no doubt, will be somewhere still laughing, dancing and singing."
What a gorgeous letter. I’m not crying, you’re cg 🥹❤️ #SinéadOConnor pic.twitter.com/LwQ8PA7BMO
— James Hawkins (@J_P_Hawkins) July 29, 2023
As Hawkins' tweet went viral - it's been liked nearly 40k times and has been viewed more than 2.8 million times - Louise's mother Judy Woolcock shared these sweet photos of her daughter and the Irish rockstar:
Just when your hair grows back following chemotherapy Sinead O’Connor cuts it off again !!
— Judy Woolcock (@judy_woolcock) July 29, 2023
A girl with cancer and a rock star pic.twitter.com/y38wH98R3s
O’Connor’s death was confirmed by her family in a statement on Wednesday, July 26: "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."
Police in London have since said that they are not treating O'Connor's death as suspicious. The London Inner South Coroner's Court confirmed that no medical cause of O'Connor's death was given and an autopsy will be conducted, the results of which may not be available for several weeks.
56-year-old O'Connor is survived by her three children Jake, Roisin, and Yeshua. She is predeceased by her 17-year-old son Shane, who tragically died in January 2022.
In one of her final tweets, O'Connor said she was "lost in the bardo" without her son. O'Connor had also said just days before her death that she was finishing an album and planning to tour in the coming two years.
Tributes to O'Connor have been widespread and vigils have been hosted in both Dublin and London.
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