Sinéad O'Connor: Dying fan's 'amazing' week with singer

Louise Woolcock "had a wonderful friendship" with Sinéad O'Connor, her father said

A father has recalled the "wonderful friendship" between his terminally ill daughter and singer Sinéad O'Connor, who died last week.

Philip Woolcock, from Preston, said his daughter Louise, who had cancer, got a phone call "out of the blue" in 1990.

"She must have heard of Louise's illness from the press as we were fundraising for the hospice," he said.

"She invited her to stay with her in London and they had an amazing time dancing all night and drinking."

Twenty-year-old Louise, who had been diagnosed with a rare form of soft tissue cancer, stayed with O'Connor on several occasions, the first time for just over a week in 1991.

"My daughter was a great admirer of her and loved her music," Mr Woolcock said of the Irish musician, who died aged 56,

"They became very close and had a wonderful time, which was very important to someone who was dying of cancer."

He said a definite highlight of the trip was "singing The B-52's Love Shack in Pizza Express and getting asked for autographs".

Sinéad O'Connor shaved Louise Woolcock's head and were asked if they were sisters

"Louise was having chemotherapy and Sinéad shaved her head," he said. "They were being asked if they were sisters because they both had shaved heads.

"She kept saying 'I'm just a student from Blackpool' but they still wanted her autograph too."

Louise went to London a second time where she was presented with a platinum disc for O'Connor's worldwide hit Nothing Compares 2 U.

She kept in touch with O'Connor who would send "flowers, chocolates and fizzy wine" before she died in August 1992.

Mr Woolcock did not meet the singer himself but said "we spoke on the phone at length about how we felt and Louise's prognosis, which wasn't good from the start".

"She [O'Connor] was heartbroken when she died. She was only 21.

The Irish singer died last week aged 56,

"They had a wonderful friendship and both got a lot from it.

"Sinéad was human, kind and good, a warm, compassionate woman and they both valued the friendship as equals.

"She was admirable and altruistic and never once sought any publicity for these acts of love."