Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor has died, The Irish Times reports. She was 56. Her cause of death has yet to be revealed. The singer had lost her son, Shane, to suicide in January 2022, after which she was briefly hospitalized.
In a statement, O’Connor’s 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.
In 1990, her famed cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” was the number one world single at the Billboard Music Awards. During a decades-long career, the Dublin-based singer released 10 studio albums. Protesting the cover-up of Catholic Church sexual abuse cases, O’Connor tore a picture of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live in 1992.
In her 2021 book Rememberings, O’Connor said: “Everyone wants a pop star, see? But I am a protest singer. I just had stuff to get off my chest. I had no desire for fame.”
Earlier this year she received a standing ovation at the RTÉ Choice Music Awards in receiving the first-ever award for Classic Irish Album. She dedicated the award to “each and every member of Ireland’s refugee community.”
This is a developing story.
