I've been a fan of Morrissey for years here in the States. Here atleast, he is not what you say as "mainstream" but he is very popular among the rockabilly/psychobilly scene (which Ive been for many years as well). I just wanted to know how popular is he really in the UK since I know his records do chart there quite well.
In real-life, that old lady actually died the other day. I'm not sure if the speculation is true, but apparently she slit her wrists after hearing The Smiths. link