Sinead O’Connor, the outspoken singer who rose to international stardom in the 1990s, will be laid to rest on Tuesday in the Irish beach town of Bray.
The public will be able to pay their respects to O’Connor as her cortege proceeds along the coastline in the town 20 kilometers (13 miles) south of Dublin, according to her family.
Last month, the Grammy Award-winning singer, widely known for her cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” was discovered unresponsive at her London home. She was 56 years old.
“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 (County) Wicklow and beyond since she left last week to go to another place.”
The public parade, which will pass by her former home on the seaside, will be followed by a private burial, according to O’Connor’s family.
The family has asked that well-wishers assemble on the Bray seashore from 10:30 a.m. (0930 GMT).
O’Connor’s death sparked outpourings of public sadness all across the world, particularly in Ireland, where her openness to criticize the Catholic Church in particular saw her hated by some and lauded as a trailblazer by others.
A Second World War navigational sign for pilots spelling Ireland in Irish — “Eire” — was momentarily painted with a heart and “Sinead” in honour to the singer on a seaside hilltop overlooking Bray, where O’Connor lived for 15 years.
Bob Geldof, Alison Moyet, Annie Lennox and Russell Crowe are among the musicians, celebrities and fans offering their condolences
Her agents have said at the time of her death, O’Connor was completing a new album and planning a tour as well as a movie based on her autobiography “Rememberings”.
Gatherings throughout Dublin, Belfast, and elsewhere in Ireland have been held in memory of the singer, with impromptu performances of her 1990 single “Nothing Compares 2 U” common.
The Irish Times reported last week that an autopsy was performed to ascertain the reason of the singer’s death, which London police claimed was not suspicious.
The clerk of the London coroner’s court stated in a statement that the post-mortem report would not be accessible for “some weeks.”
