Annie Lennox called for a cease-fire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war while performing a tribute to Sinéad O’Connor during the in memoriam segment during Sunday night’s Grammy Awards.
After finishing performing O’Connor’s song “Nothing Compares 2 U,” Lennox raised her fist and shouted “Artists for cease-fire. Peace in the world.”
“Artists for cease-fire” seems to be a reference to the organization Artists4Ceasefire, which wrote an open letter to President Joe Biden to “call for an immediate de-escalation and ceasefire in Gaza and Israel before another life is lost.” Lennox and other artists, including Jennifer Lopez, Andrew Garfield and Gigi Hadid, signed the letter.
“We urge your administration, Congress, and all world leaders, to honor all of the lives in the Holy Land and call for and facilitate a ceasefire without delay — an end to the bombing of Gaza, and the safe release of hostages,” part of the letter reads.
O’Connor, who died in July, was an outspoken advocate for many things. During a 1992 “Saturday Night Live” performance, O’Connor tore up a photo of the pope to protest the Catholic church’s child sexual abuse scandals. In 2014, O’Connor canceled a show in Israel in support of Palestine.
Other celebrities have shown their support for Palestine at award ceremonies. Last month, actor Khalid Abdalla wore a white dove on his blazer to the Golden Globes to symbolize peace. He later called for a “permanent ceasefire” on X, formerly known as Twitter. “We need this to end.”