Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor, who was known for her powerful, evocative voice and her activism, has passed away at the age of 56.
The singer, recognisable by her shaved head and her wide eyes, passed away after years of mental health battles.
Her death comes a year after her son Shane, 17, took his own life in January 2022 after escaping hospital while on suicide watch.
Details surrounding Sinead’s death remain unknown at this time, reports said.
Her longtime friend Bob Geldof, Irish musician and activist, confirmed her death, as did her family in a statement, according to the BBC and the Irish public broadcaster RTE.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead,” the statement said.
“Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
No other details were provided.
In a final Twitter post before her death, the singer had shared how she had been living as an “undead night creature” since her son’s suicide last year.
Last week, in what appears to be her final post, the singer hailed Shane as the “love of her life” and the “only person who ever loved me unconditionally”, adding that she felt “lost” without him.
She also posted a series of Spotify links to relatively sad and heart-breaking songs, including one she dedicated to “all mothers of Suicided children”.
Sinead, who was born in Dublin, rose to fame in the late 1980s and early ’90s. Her breakthrough hit came in 1990 with ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, a cover of the track written by Prince.
The singer had previously been vocal about her decades-long struggle with her mental health.
Earlier this month, she shared on Facebook that she had moved back to London after 23 years and was finishing a new album to be released next year. She also said she was planning to tour in 2024 and 2025.
In 2021, she released a memoir called ‘Rememberings’, and last year, she starred in a documentary about her life, titled ‘Nothing Compares’.
In 2018, she converted to Islam and changed her name to Shuhada Sadaqat, though she continued to use her work name professionally.
She had a long history of activism, championing causes and sharing often controversial views, most notably when she ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II on US TV show ‘Saturday Night Live’ in 1992 in protest at the Catholic Church child abuse scandal.
O’Connor was criticised and mocked for her actions, but in ‘Rememberings’ she expressed that she did not regret.
Her memoir ‘Rememberings’ contains an entire chapter entitled ‘Shaving My Head’. It was effectively her signature. In a 2014 story in Billboard, O’Connor identified herself as “the bald woman from Ireland”, along with her Dr. Martens and torn jeans, and it followed her throughout her life.
Even in the few periods when she grew her hair back, she was often referred to as the “formerly bald” Sinead O’Connor.
In 1990, the singer threatened to cancel a performance in New Jersey if “The Star-Spangled Banner” was played at the concert hall ahead of her appearance, drawing the ire of no less than Frank Sinatra. That same year, she backed out of an appearance on ‘Saturday Night Live’ in protest of the misogyny she perceived in the comedy of Andrew Dice Clay, who was scheduled to host.
O’Connor released 10 studio albums, beginning with the alternative hit ‘The Lion and the Cobra’ in 1987. She went on to sell millions of albums worldwide, breaking out with ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got’ in 1990.
Women’s Aid Ireland, which works to prevent and help the victims of domestic abuse, said O’Connor had a “fearless voice and courageous light”.
The organisation tweeted: “You truly challenged an Ireland, and a world, that stifled women, children and anyone who didn’t conform. Your power, your anger, your pain and fragility gave strength to many survivors to speak out.”
HIV Ireland described O’Connor as a “proud ally of people living with HIV and impacted by AIDS”.
O’Connor has been labelled “the greatest voice of her generation” in a host of tributes to the Irish singer by artists from across the musical spectrum, writers, actors and other celebrities.
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