On July 25, 2024, Dublin’s National Wax Museum Plus unveiled a wax figure of the late Irish singer/songwriter Sinead O’Connor, in honor of her first death anniversary. O’Connor, who passed away on July 26, 2023, at the age of 56 due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma, was remembered with this tribute.
However, the wax figure has not met the expectations of her fans or her family, particularly her brother, John O’Connor. John expressed his disappointment, noting that the figure looked more like a store mannequin or something from the 1960s TV series *Thunderbirds* rather than resembling his sister. He was distressed to see the figure, especially given that it was unveiled around the time of her anniversary, and he felt compelled to speak out about it on RTE 1 Radio’s Liveline.
John also criticized the museum for not conducting a quality check before the unveiling. Paddy Dunning, the museum’s director, admitted that the figure did not look right when it arrived the night before the launch. Despite this, the museum proceeded with the event to accommodate press coverage. Dunning noted that the artist, PJ Heraghty, had previously created impressive wax figures but was facing health issues, which may have affected this particular work.
Heraghty, who is 70, initially hesitated to take on the project due to the challenge of capturing O’Connor’s likeness. He struggled with time constraints and a lack of good reference photos, which he admits affected the final result. In response to the backlash, Dunning decided to withdraw the figure from the museum and plans to have it redone to better capture O’Connor’s unique presence. The museum acknowledged the feedback and agreed that the initial figure did not do justice to the singer’s essence.
