Sinead O’Connor’s estate has said she would have been “disgusted, hurt, and insulted” at her version of Nothing Compares 2 U being used at Donald Trump’s political rallies.
A joint statement from the late Irish singer’s estate and record label Chrysalis Records demanded the former US president “desist from using her music immediately”.
It said O’Connor, who died last July aged 56, lived by a “fierce moral code” and had previously referred to Mr Trump as a “biblical devil”.
The statement said: “Throughout her life, it is well known that Sinead O’Connor lived by a fierce moral code defined by honesty, kindness, fairness, and decency towards her fellow human beings.
“It was with outrage therefore that we learned that Donald Trump has been using her iconic performance of Nothing Compares 2 U at his political rallies.
“It is no exaggeration to say that Sinead would have been disgusted, hurt and insulted to have her work misrepresented in this way by someone who she herself referred to as a ‘biblical devil’.
“As the guardians of her legacy, we demand that Donald Trump and his associates desist from using her music immediately.”
O’Connor’s version of Nothing Compares 2 U spent weeks at number one in the UK in 1990 and propelled her to stardom.
The Dublin-born singer was also known for being outspoken on her struggles with her mental health and was said to have helped change Ireland because of her criticism of the Catholic Church.
A coroner ruled she died from natural causes in her south-east London home on July 26 2023.
Mr Trump, who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021, is running for a second term after he was ousted by current US President Joe Biden.
He is currently campaigning to be the Republican nominee for the upcoming 2024 election.
O’Connor follows on from a long list of artists who have demanded Mr Trump desist from using their music for his political campaigns including The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, Rihanna, Neil Young, Linkin Park, the late Tom Petty and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.
You may also like: More than 170 councils urge Chancellor to extend cost-of-living support