Sinead O'Connor dies aged 56 after years of mental health battles (2024)

SinéadO'Connorhas died at the age of 56 after years of mental health battles, her 'devastated' family confirmed.

The Irish Grammy-winning singer, whose cause of death is not yet known, became world famous in 1990 with her heartrending cover of Prince's Nothing Compares 2 U.

It comes 18 months after the mother-of-four's son Shane, 17, took his life in January 2022after escaping hospital while on suicide watch.

At the time of her death, the musician,who changed her name to Shuhada' Sadaqat in 2018 when she converted to Islam, was thought to be spending her time between Co Roscommon, Ireland, and London.

In her last Tweet, O'Connor posted a photo of Shane and said: 'Been living as undead night creature since.He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul.

'We were one soul in two halves. He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally.I am lost in the bardo without him.'

The mother-of-four also posted a series of Spotifylinks to relatively sad and heart breaking songs, including one she dedicated to 'all mothers of Suicided children'.

O'Connor had spoken publicly about her mental health struggles over the years and admitted she battled thoughts of suicide and had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

She often shared about her struggles on her social media - sometimes detailing her agony, other times joking wryly about it.

She reportedly once said that she wanted only her name and mobile number on her tombstone so people would 'know I am still contactable, though I'm elsewhere'.

She also revealed she suffered from PTSD because of the abuse she received as a child.

In 2012 she cancelled a tour after suffering a 'very serious breakdown', and in 2015 revealed she had overdosed at a hotel in Ireland.

She cancelled more gigs in 2021 after she said she had gone into a one-year treatment trauma and addiction programme.

After the death of her son in 2022 she was briefly admitted to hospital after posting online that she had 'decided to follow' his path.

In a statement on Wednesday, the beloved singer'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.'

Tributes poured in for the adored singer after her death was announced on Wednesday evening.

Irish PresidentMichael D. Higgins praised O'Connor's 'extraordinarily beautiful, unique voice' and said he hoped 'her spirit [may] find the peace she sought in so many different ways'.

He said: 'May I send my deepest condolences to Sinéad O'Connor's father John, the members of her family and to all those with whom she shared her life.

'My first reaction on hearing the news of Sinéad's loss was to remember her extraordinarily beautiful, unique voice.

'What was striking in all of the recordings she made and in all of her appearances was the authenticity of the performance, while her commitment to the delivery of the song and its meaning was total.

'To those of us who had the privilege of knowing her, one couldn't but always be struck by the depth of her fearless commitment to the important issues which she brought to public attention, no matter how uncomfortable those truths may have been.

'What Ireland has lost at such a relatively young age is one of our greatest and most gifted composers, songwriters and performers of recent decades, one who had a unique talent and extraordinary connection with her audience, all of whom held such love and warmth for her.

'The way in which she was able to move across the different forms of the arts was a singular achievement, as was the way her voice went around the world and how it was received.

'Her accomplishments included a body of work for film through the production of perfectly chosen and widely acclaimed lyrics.

'Sinéad O'Connor's voice and delivery was in so many different ways original, extraordinary and left one with a deep deep impression that to have accomplished all she did while carrying the burden which she did was a powerful achievement in its own way.

'Her contribution joins those great contributions of Irish women who contributed to our lives, its culture and its history in their own unique but unforgettable ways.

'May her spirit find the peace she sought in so many different ways.'

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: 'Really sorry to hear of the passing of Sinéad O'Connor.

'Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare.

'Condolences to her family, her friends and all who loved her music.

'Ar dheis Dé go Raibh a hAnam. [At the right hand of God rest her soul/Rest in peace.]'

Tanaiste Micheál Martin said he was 'devastated' to hear of O'Connor's passing.

He added: 'One of our greatest musical icons, and someone deeply loved by the people of Ireland, and beyond.

'Our hearts goes out to her children, her family, friends and all who knew and loved her.'

The Irish Embassy in America said: 'Deeply saddened to learn of Sinéad O'Connor's passing. A wonderful artist whose music brought so much joy to people all around the world.'

Comedian Dara O'Briainsaid: 'Ah s****, Sinead O'Connor has died. That's just very sad news. Poor thing. I hope she realised how much love there was for her.'

O'Connor had recently recorded a new theme for historical TV drama Outlander, working with composer Bear McCreary, who wrote on Twitter: 'I am gutted by the loss of Sinead O'Connor.

'She was the warrior poet I expected her to be - wise and visionary, but also hilarious. She and I laughed a lot.

'We were writing new songs together, which will now never be complete.

'We've all lost an icon. I've lost a friend. RIP.'

Former Yazoo star Alison Moyet said O'Connor had a voice that 'cracked stone with force by increment'.

O'Connor was born into a troubled family in Dublin on December 8, 1966.

She was the third of five children. Her siblings include her brother John, noted art historian sister Eimear , novelist older brother Joseph and Eoin, who is a successful painter.

Later in her life Sinéad O'Connor claimed she started having mental health issues because her mother physically and sexually abused her as a child.

Her parents separated when she was eight and she left her mother Marie when she was 13 to live with her father Jack.

She was placed in corrective school aged 15 after bouts of stealing. An Grianán Training Centre, in Dublin was previously a notorious Magdalene laundry for 'fallen women'.

Although O'Connor said it was no longer an abusive place, she said being kept away from her family was upsetting.

However, one of the nuns there spotted her musical talent and bought her a guitar and pushed her to have lessons.

Through an advert in a Dublin music magazine she metColm Farrelly and together formed the bandTon Ton Macoute, which brought 18-year-old O'Connor to the attention of the global music industry.

In the same year, her mother died after losing control of her car on an icy road and crashing into a bus.

After signing with Ensign Records O'Connor released her critically acclaimed first album The Lion And The Cobra in 1987m which sold two-and-a-half million copies.

Yet it was her second album IDo Not Want What I Haven't Got, which came out in 1990, that propelled her to stardom.

The album sold more than seven million copies and included her breakthrough hit Nothing Compares 2 U.

The music video for the song contains footage of O'Connor that many fans will remember her best by - of her pure voice, pale skin and shaved head with tears rolling down her cheek.

The singer said she always thought of her mother Marie when she sang the ballad.

She wrote other hits including You Made Me The Thief Of Your Heart - for the soundtrack of Daniel Day-Lewis filmIn the Name of the Father - Drink Before The War and This Is The Day.

She released 10 studio albums in her career, and Nothing Compares 2 U was namedthe number one world single in 1990 by the Billboard Music Awards.

Nothing Compares 2 U received three Grammy nominations and Rolling Stone named her Artist of the Year in 1991.

The magazine said: 'She proved that a recording artist could refuse to compromise and still connect with millions of listeners hungry for music of substance.'

Long known as much for her shaved head and outspoken views on religion, sex, feminism and war as for her music, she will be remembered in some quarters for ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II during a television appearance on 'Saturday Night Live.'

Brash and outspoken - her shaved head, pained expression, and shapeless wardrobe a direct challenge to popular culture's long-prevailing notions of femininity and sexuality - O'Connor changed the image of women in music in the early 1990s.

'Everyone wants a pop star, see?' she wrote in her 2021 memoir Rememberings.

'But I am a protest singer. I just had stuff to get off my chest. I had no desire for fame.'

She reportedly first shaved her head as a response to a music label executive asking her whether she would grow longer hair and wear dresses.

Her political and cultural stances and troubled private life often overshadowed her music.

She feuded with Frank Sinatra over her refusal to allow the playing of The Star-Spangled Banner at one of her shows and accused Prince of physically threatening her.

In 1989 she declared her support for the Irish Republican Army, a statement she retracted a year later.

Around the same time, she skipped the Grammy ceremony, saying it was too commercialized.

A critic of the Catholic Church well before allegations sexual abuse were widely reported, O'Connor made headlines in October 1992 when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II while appearing live on NBC's 'Saturday Night Live' and denounced the church as the enemy.

In 1999, O'Connor caused uproar in Ireland when she became a priestess of the breakaway Latin Tridentine Church - a position that was not recognized by the mainstream Catholic Church.

For many years, she called for a full investigation into the extent of the church's role in concealing child abuse by clergy.

In 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI apologized to Ireland to atone for decades of abuse, O'Connor condemned the apology for not going far enough and called for Catholics to boycott Mass until there was a full investigation into the Vatican's role, which by 2018 was making international headlines.

'People assumed I didn't believe in God. That's not the case at all. I'm Catholic by birth and culture and would be the first at the church door if the Vatican offered sincere reconciliation,' she wrote in the Washington Post in 2010.

O'Connor announced in 2018 that she had converted to Islam and would be adopting the name Shuhada' Davitt - although she continued to use Sinéad O'Connor professionally.

O'Connor announced she was retiring from music in 2003, but she continued to record new material. Her most recent album was ' I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss,' released in 2014.

In March this year she was given the inaugural award for Classic Irish Album at the RTÉ Choice Music Awards for I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got.

As she accepted the award she received a standing ovation. The singer dedicated it to 'all refugees in Ireland.'

The judges said her album was 'a stunning body of work by an Irish artist, scorching with originality in songs that are as resonant today as they were more than 30 years ago.'

The singer married four timesand had fourchildren: Jake, 36, with her first husband John Reynolds; Roisin, 27, with John Waters; Shane, 17 - who died last year - with Donal Lunny; and Yeshua, 16 with Frank Bonadio.

O'Connor is survived by her three children.

• For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch. See www.samaritans.org for details.