The night Kris Kristofferson defended Sinéad O'Connor on stage to boos and jeers – The Irish Times

As tributes pour in for American country singer and songwriter Kris Kristofferson after his death on Saturday, fans remember how he saluted Sinéad O'Connor after her infamous appearance on US television's “Saturday Night Live” in October 1992 side stood.

In a gesture that sparked public outrage, O'Connor made her stance against clergy abuse clear after her powerful performance of Bob Marley's “War” by tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II and urging viewers to “to fight against the real enemy”.

Days later, amid the backlash, O'Connor was introduced by Kristofferson as “an artist whose name has become synonymous with courage and integrity” as she took the stage to perform at Bob Dylan's 30th anniversary concert in New York's Madison Square play garden. She was met with jeers and boos.

In a show of solidarity, Kristofferson came back to the stage to offer O'Connor a few words of comfort.

“The promoters told me to go out and get her off stage but I didn't want to do that,” he recalled during an appearance on RTÉ One's Saturday Night with Miriam in August 2010.

Kristofferson spoke about the close bond the pair formed through the controversy, telling Miriam O'Callaghan what he said to the Nothing Compares 2 U singer that night.

( Kris Kristofferson, US country singer and actor, has died at the age of 88Opens in new window )

“I went to her and whispered, 'Don't let the bastards get you down.' She smiled and said, 'I'm not down.'”

“It seemed very wrong to boo the little girl. But she was always brave,” he said.

O'Connor, who died in 2023, again performed an a capella version of “War” after the crowd's boos drowned out the piano player as they began playing Dylan's “I Believe In You.”

On Saturday evening with Miriam, Kristofferson and O'Connor sang Kristofferson's fitting classic “Help Me Make It Through the Night” together.

In 2009, Kristofferson wrote “Sister Sinead,” a song dedicated to their shared moment on stage at Madison Square Garden.

“It takes effort to stick your neck out/With a goal in mind, a tall silhouette/But some candles flicker and some candles fade/And some burn as true as my sister Sinead.”