Sinéad O’Connor dies, aged 56

26 July 2023, 20:31 | Updated: 27 July 2023, 11:04

The Irish singer was best known for her version of Nothing Compares 2 U, released in 1990.

Singer Sinéad O’Connor has died at the age of 56.

In a statement reported by The Irish Time, her family said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad.

"Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”

No cause of death has yet been given by the family.

She is survived by her three children. Her son, Shane, died last year aged 17, after going missing for two days. She wrote: "My beautiful son, Nevi'im Nesta Ali Shane O'Connor, the very light of my life... May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example."My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace."

Following the tragedy, O'Connor postponed her tour dates and put her new album - titled No Veteran Dies Alone - on hold.

Sinéad O'Connor - Nothing Compares 2 U (Official Music Video) [HD]

Sinéad O’Connor released 10 albums in her career, beginning with The Lion And The Cobra in 1987, but it was the follow-up two years later, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, that spawned the monster hit Nothing Compares 2 U. A cover of a Prince song written for the band The Family, it topped the UK charts for four weeks in February 1990.

The iconic image of O'Connor's shaved head and the singer crying genuine tears made the video one of the most memorable of the 1990s.

In the late 1990s O'Connor was ordained as a priest, and later announced her retirement form music. In 2007, the singer revealed on the Oprah Winfrey Show that she had been diagnosed as bipolar and had previously attempted suicide; she later received other medical opinions that she was not bipolar, but was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder. She also suffered from fibromyalgia.

In 2017, O'Connor changed her name to Magda Davitt and the following year converted to Islam and took the name Shuhada' Sadaqat. She had long been critical of her Catholic upbringing, causing controversy in 1992 when she appeared on the US TV show Saturday Night Live and ripped up a photo of the Pope on camera. She claimed that the act was a protest against widespread sexual abuse of children by members of the Church.

After the news broke of O'Connor's death, Irish comedian Dara Ó Briain tweeted: "Ah sh**e, Sinead O’Connor has died. That’s just very sad news. Poor thing. I hope she realised how much love there was for her."

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar tweeted: "Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare."

Ice-T said the singer "stood for something... unlike most people", while Ian Brown of The Stone Roses wrote that collaborating with O'Connor was "magical". Alison Moyet tweeted that the singer had a "voice that cracked stone".

Former X Factor duo Jedward posted: "Rest in Peace Sinead O’Connor very sad to hear the news Irish True Irish Icon of our Generation! We only just met her this year and she was in good spirits, a very welcoming person with a big heart."

Sinead O'Connor - Mandinka (Official Music Video)

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