Empire Of The Sun have come under fire for posting a social media tribute to controversial Christian evangelist Billy Graham, who passed away this week.
The Sydney electro duo wrote “God bless the great Billy Graham” alongside a photo with a quote from the preacher, who was notorious for his intolerant views of Jewish people, homosexuality and abortion:
Sections of Graham’s website condemn same-sex relationships and recommend conversion therapy to treat gay people.
Interestingly, one half of Empire Of The Sun, Nick Littlemore, has distanced himself from the tribute post, coming online to let fans know that he doesn’t run the pair’s accounts and is not interested in “celebrating the life of a bigot”:
But Littlemore’s personal disavowal hasn’t prevented fans from sledging Empire Of The Sun en masse for the unexpected post.
It remains unclear whether the controversial tribute was posted by Littlemore’s bandmate, Luke Steele, or someone else entirely, but Music Feeds has contacted the band’s representatives for comment.
You can check out some of the reactions from fans below.
