Michael Imperioli claims Morrissey was ‘abandoned’ by music industry like Sinead O’Connor

‘I still give [Morrissey] the benefit of the doubt,’ ‘Sopranos’ star said

US actor Michael Imperioli has compared Morrissey’s situation in the music industry to that of the late Irish singer Sinead O’Connor.

The “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer’s funeral took place in her hometown of Bray, Co Wicklow, on Tuesday (8 August) following her death on 26 July aged 56.

O’Connor rose to global fame in 1990 with her famous Prince cover; however, she had a difficult relationship with fame, often facing intense criticism for her outspoken views.

Morrissey, meanwhile, has faced accusations of bigotry and racism throughout his career.

The White Lotus star Imperioli, who is also the guitarist and vocalist for the band Zopa, was asked about his love for the former Smiths frontman in a readers’ Q&A interview for The Guardian.

“He’s uncompromising and very true to his art, to himself,” the actor said. “As a lyricist, he’s on the level of Bob Dylan and Lou Reed to me: his intelligence, his wit and point of view.

“I thought what he wrote about Sinead O’Connor was spot on and brilliant – how easily she was abandoned by the music industry. He was as well,” Imperioli added.

(From left) Michael Imperioli, Sinead O’Connor and Morrissey (Getty Images)

In a diatribe shared on his website following O’Connor’s death, Morrissey wrote that “the cruel playpen of fame gushes with praise for Sinead today”.

“She was dropped by her label after selling seven million albums for them. She became crazed, yes, but uninteresting, never. She had done nothing wrong,” he wrote.

“... You praise her now ONLY because it is too late. You hadn’t the guts to support her when she was alive and she was looking for you.”

After being criticised for his support of the British far-right anti-Islam party For Britain in 2019, Morrissey discussed the subject in a controversial interview in which he said: “Everyone prefers their own race.”

In 2020, the singer claimed he’d been “dropped” by his former record label, BMG. Earlier this year, he claimed Capitol Records was prioritising Sam Smith’s “satanism” over the promotion of his latest album Bonfire Of Teenagers.

“I’m not sure how racist the things he said were,” Imperioli said in The Guardian interview. “To me they weren’t flagrantly racist. I’ve never met Morrissey but I do know a lot of people in the current band and people who have played with him in the past who are very smart, and the least racist people you could imagine.

“They adamantly express that racism is not a part of who he is, by any stretch of the imagination. I still give him the benefit of the doubt. I know a lot of people don’t, but somehow I still do.”

He concluded: “As an artist, considering what he’s done, he should always have the advantages of having a label promoting him. I think [his situation] is similar [to O’Connor’s] in a lot of ways.”