On Wednesday, the tragic news that Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor had died at the age of 56 shook the world.

Immediately, the media, including Marie Claire, began to pay tribute to this shocking and beloved artist, and both her family and the celebrities she touched throughout her short life shared beautiful words about what it meant to her.

Among them was Kiwi-born Australian actor Russell Crowe, who recalled a chance meeting with O'Connor in Dalkey, near the Irish capital of Dublin.

"I was working in Ireland last year, having a drink in the cold outside a pub in Dalkey with some new friends, when a woman with a purpose walked past us. Her bulging hoodie was zipped down to the nape of her neck and her bowed head was covered with a scarf. One of my new friends exclaimed in admiration, jumped up and chased after the woman," Crowe began.

"About 30 meters away, the friend and the woman embraced and he waved me over. Under a street lamp, with fog on my breath, I met Sinead. She looked me in the eye and said with innocent softness, "Oh, you must be Russell.""

"She returned to the table with us and ordered a hot cup of tea in the cold. In our hedge-free conversation, we discussed the recent Dublin heatwave, local politics, American politics, the ongoing struggle for indigenous recognition in many places, especially Australia, her warm memories of New Zealand, her faith, music, movies, and her brother, the writer. I had the opportunity to tell her that she is my hero."

Crowe left her followers with the following touching words.

"As her second drink filled the night air, she got up, hugged us all, and strode off through the streetlights, dimmed by fog."

"The four of us sat there and expressed the same thing in different ways. What a wonderful woman she is."

"May the courageous hearts of the Sinéad rest in peace."

Crowe was not the only one with wonderful memories of O'Connor.

Rapper Flavor Flave said on Twitter, "On behalf of my group, Public Enemy, and myself,,,, Sinéad O'Connor's death breaks my heart. She was very supportive of Public Enemy and a legend who passed too soon. My condolences go out to her son and family. - Flavor Flav."

Photographer Misann Harriman, a close friend of Meghan Markle, dedicated several Instagram posts to O'Connor. In one of them, he wrote, "Such a great loss, such a singular and vulnerable voice."

Stars including Sam Smith and Dan Levy shared photos of O'Connor on their Instagram Stories, and Jamie Lee Curtis recalled one of his own episodes of experiencing the singer's talent and presence firsthand.

"I once heard Sinead sing a cappella in an empty chapel in Ireland. It was under construction in our host's private home," Curtis wrote. 'It was one of the most beautiful things I have heard in my life. Later, we went to see Eminem's festival together.

"I loved her. Her music. Her life. She was a victim of child abuse and a huge change agent for the unfair, unjust, draconian laws in Ireland.

"She was a fighter. She was a rebel. Because of her hypocritical life of growing up abused under the banner of the church, she tore down the pictures on her mother's wall.

"This is very sad. Please watch the documentary NOTHING COMPARES. It's fantastic. It's heartbreaking.

"Rest well. Be at peace. Rest in peace.