Sinéad O'Connor, one of the most distinct voices of the 1990s, has passed away, reports The Irish Times. She was 56.
O'Connor's family issued a statement on Wednesday (July 26), acknowledging her passing. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad,” the statement said. “Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
The Irish singer was found unresponsive at her London home and her death is not being treated as suspicious, Sky News reports. The Metropolitan Police issued the following statement: "Police were called at 11.18am on Wednesday 26 July to reports of an unresponsive woman at a residential address in the SE24 area. Officers attended. A 56-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene."
O'Connor became a global sensation in 1990 with the release of "Nothing Compares 2 U," a song written by Prince, that went to #1 across the globe. The song helped her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, sell 7 million copies worldwide and garner four Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year. The album won Best Alternative Music Performance, the following year, however, O'Connor refused it.
In her nearly 40 years as a recording artist, O'Connor released 10 studio albums. In 2021 she published her memoir, Rememberings, which became a best-seller.
With success, O'Connor found herself the subject of controversy. At the height of her fame, she tore up a photo of the Pope during a performance on Saturday Night Live in October 1992, declaring "Fight the real enemy." She claimed it was an act of protesting the sexual abuse of children at the hand of the Catholic Church. The antic saw her banned from NBC and two weeks later, booed off stage at a Bob Dylan concert. She also had public spats with Madonna, Prince and Miley Cyrus.
Born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor, the singer changed her name twice. In 2017, she became Magda Davitt as a way to be "free of the patriarchal slave names, free of the parental curses," she explained. And then in 2018 she took the name Shuhada before changing her surname to Sadaqat in 2019, after converting to Islam.
O’Connor is survived by her three children: Jake, Roisin and Yeshua. Her son, Shane, died by suicide last year at the age of 17. At the time of her son's death, O'Connor said, “I’ve decided to follow my son. There is no point living without him."
Her final tweet on July 17 was a tribute to Shane. "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".