Iconic Irish musician Sinéad O’Connor has died, the BBC reports. She was 56 years old. O’Connor, who lived years battling mental health issues, was best known for her 1990 cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
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The singer’s family released a statement to the BBC upon news of O’Connor’s death. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad,” the statement read. “Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
The news of O’Connor’s death comes 18 months after her son Shane took his own life in January 2022 at age 17. Days after he was found dead, O’Connor was hospitalized following a series of disturbing tweets.
In 1987, O’Connor released her debut album, The Lion and the Cobra. She released her follow-up, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got in 1990. The project included the Prince cover. That LP sold more than 7 million copies.
O’Connor had a steady rise to popularity but it was a 1992 Saturday Night Live performance that pushed her into the spotlight. During the singer’s SNL appearance, O’Connor sang an a cappella version of Bob Marley’s song “War” before ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II as a protest against child abuse.
O’Connor, who suffered from mental illness much of her life, said it began after her mother abused her as a child. At 15, she was put in a corrective school after getting caught stealing. But she survived all of this and became a major figure in popular culture.
In 2018, O’Connor changed her name to Shuhada’ Sadaqat after she converted to Islam. Though, until her death, she recorded under her own name.
Last year, her life was documented in the Showtime documentary, Nothing Compares. The film’s trailer opens with the singer being met with a cacophony of cheers and boos as she takes the stage for a performance. Watch the trailer for that documentary below.
(photo by Frans Schellekens/Redferns)
