Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor has died at age 56. O’Conner’s family confirmed her death in a statement on Wednesday, July 26.
“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,” the statement reads.
O’Conner is best known for her hit song “Nothing Compares 2 U” which was penned by Prince.
“Nothing Compares 2 U” was named the number one song in the world in 1990. It was the lead single from her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.
O’Conner became an international pop star. She later accused her mentor, Prince, of physically abusing her and threatening her.
In 1989 she declared her support for the Irish Republican Army and she skipped the Grammy Awards ceremony, saying it was too commercialized.
In 2017, O’Conner changed her legal name to Magda Davitt.
In October 2018, she changed her name again to Shuhada Sadaqat and converted to Islam.
She said she shaved her head to protest against traditional stereotypes of women in society.
“I don’t feel like me unless I have my hair shaved. So even when I’m an old lady, I’m going to shave it,” she said.
In 1992, O’Connor was cancelled when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” and denounced the Catholic Church as the enemy.
Days later, she was booed when she appeared at an all-star tribute for Bob Dylan at Madison Square Garden. Instead of singing Dylan’s “I Believe in You,” she sang Bob Marley’s “War.”
Her performance was kept off the concert CD.
O’Conner had four children and was married four times.
In January 2022, her 17-year-old son Shane took his own life.
O’Conner, who lost custody of Shane in 2013, said he had been on “suicide watch” at Tallaght Hospital, and had “ended his Earthly struggle”.
During an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show on Oct. 4, 2007, O’Connor revealed that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
O’Conner explained that she had attempted suicide on her 33rd birthday on December 8, 1999.
On Oprah: Where Are They Now? in 2014, O’Connor said that she received three “second opinions” and was told by all three doctors that she was not bipolar.
In 2016, O’Connor went to a drug rehabilitation center to treat her marijuana addiction.
