Sinead O’Connor Dead At Age 56

Legendary musician and iconic celebrity Sinead O’Connor has passed away at the age of 56.

The “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer was one of the most iconic performers in the ’80s and ’90s, breaking ground with her music style, fashion, and honesty. Sinead was born in Dublin, Ireland, on December 8, 1966. From a young age, she had an interest in music. That interest was honed in 1979 after she was institutionalized for 18 months for truancy and shoplifting. As a child, Sinead suffered abuse at the hands of her parents and spent her life advocating for vulnerable children.

Sinead O’Connor Was Singularly Talented

In the late 1980s, Sinead became a household name with the rise of her album The Lion and the Cobra, which earned her first Grammy nomination. When she was just 20 and while recording her first major album, Sinead became pregnant by her drummer, John Reynolds. They welcomed their son Jake together in 1987 and married the same year.

In 1990, the singer became a superstar when she re-released Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” and the world became enamored with her sultry voice and singular style. By the early 1990s and while she worked on her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, Sinead had already secured her signature look of a shaved head. The look was meant to fight back against traditional roles and stereotypes for women, and she opted to keep the style after she felt it was clear that she was angering the right people.

Her next album I Do Not Want earned multiple nominations and secured the 1991 Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance. In 1994 she released Universal Mother, which earned two additional Grammy awards. The singer toured with Lollapalooza the following year. However, she dropped out from the tour due to pregnancy. She and Irish journalist John Waters welcomed her first daughter, Roisin. She also later welcomed her third child, Shane, in 2004 with musician Donal Lunny, and her fourth child Yeshua, with Frank Bonadio.

To Retirement And Back Again

In 2003, Sinead released a double album titled She who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty. However, it was intended to be her last, as she announced her retirement from music soon after. But Sinead, with a love of music in her bones, couldn’t stay away long and released several more albums after her retirement.

In 2007, Sinead revealed to Oprah Winfrey that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder four years prior. She also shared that she had attempted suicide back in 1999. Sinead suffered a mental break in 2011. But she would later say that hormones played a part in her mental health issues rather than bipolar. Although she only publicly dated and married men, Sinead said that she was a lesbian. The groundbreaking performer used her voice to advocate for child abuse awareness throughout her life. She was at the center of multiple controversies and tried to tackle abuses of children by the Catholic Church.

Sinead’s son Shane passed away in 2022 at the age of 17, and she suffered greatly in the wake of his passing. Her last post on social media read, “Been living as undead night creature since. He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul.” She is survived by her other three children. Her cause of death has not been publicly released.