"Her incredible gift of singing had a direct line to her heart. That’s so rare in singers" Billy Corgan has opened up about his friendship with the late Sinéad O’Connor , calling her “such an incredible talent”. In a new interview with the Irish Times , the Smashing Pumpkins frontman shared details about his friendship with O’Connor, who tragically died aged 56 in July last year .

Corgan revealed O’Connor lived with mutual friend and drummer Matt Walker (The Smashing Pumpkins, Morrissey ) in Chicago, where Walker got to know O’Connor whilst he was playing with Morrissey. From then on, O’Connor lived in Walker’s attic. Recalling the singer as “shy”, Corgan said: “I’d met Sinéad once at a show.

We talked a little bit, but I can’t say I knew her. So now she’s living at my friend’s house, where I go for Sunday dinner. Four or five, six times I was over for Sunday ham and Sinéad would come down and have dinner.

And then I finally got to know her as a person. We talked about her children a lot and relationships in life and her struggles. He went on to describe O’Connor as “very, very honest.

I mean, almost to a fault.” Corgan continued: “This bare-your-soul honesty. Such a beautiful woman, such an incredible talent – just in awe of her talent.

Of course my friends were calling me on the side, asking me for advice on what to do with the rock star living in their attic. They love her and they’re trying to support her through a very di.