The vast outpouring of tributes to Sinead O’Connor was richly deserved, but also a bit odd, seeing as people had shied away from her in real life.

Lily Allen noticed this too, but used some stronger words:

“It’s hard not to feel incensed when there are so many people posting about Sinead and how fearless she was, people who would never in a million years align themselves with with anybody who stood for something or had anything remotely controversial to say. It’s so spineless. If you can’t stand up for people in life don’t do it in death… It’s also troubling that people have seemingly felt so empathetic towards her but didn’t feel that they could show it or express it for some reason. until they died. what does that say about us?”

She’s not wrong.