Irish Singer- Songwriter Sinead O’Connor Dead At 56
Though often controversial in her views, O’Connor recorded a highly-acclaimed body of work including ten studio albums.
Sinéad O’Connor, the highly-acclaimed, but outspoken Irish singer-songwriter with a singular voice, who shot to stardom in the early 90s with her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” has passed away at the age of 56.
The singer’s family confirmed her death in a statement to Irish news network RTE, “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.” No cause of death has been released at the time of writing.
Throughout her career, Sinead O’Connor courted controversy, strongly expressed her opinions on everything from organized religion to women’s rights, and was even ordained a priest. In 1992, one of the most notable events of her career took place when she ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II on the US TV show Saturday Night Live, where she was the invited performer. The incident resulted in her being banned for life by broadcaster NBC and protests against her in the US.
“I’m not sorry I did it. It was brilliant,” she said in an interview with the New York Times in 2021.
Despite the hubris, O’Connor also built up one of contemporary Irish music’s most enduring catalogs. Originally staking her claim with 1988’s gold-selling and Grammy-nominated The Lion And The Cobra, she went supernova when her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, was nominated for four Grammy Awards on the back of her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which shot to No.1.
It was helped to the top of the charts in the UK, Ireland and the US by a striking video that largely featured a close-up of her face as she sang.
She cried during the making of the video and later said she found it difficult to sing the song because it reminded her of the loss of her mother, who had died in a car accident in 1985.
Her fourth album, Universal Mother, featuring writing contributions from Germaine Greer and Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain, but it failed to emulate the success of her earlier work. It was to be her last studio album for six years. However, her acclaimed 2002 album Sean-Nos Nua – which featured a radical reworking of traditional Irish folk songs – attracted widespread acclaim.
A year later she released a compilation of previously unheard tracks and demos before announcing she was retiring from music. However, a spell in Jamaica resulted in her seventh studio album, Throw Down Your Arms, a reggae-flavoured release that met with positive reviews.
She again returned to musical form with How About I Be Me (and You Be You) released in 2012, which reached number five in Ireland and 33 in the UK charts. Her 2014 album, I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss, again topped the Irish album chart.
A spellbinding live performer, Sinead O’Connor’s Celtic-vocal stylings, bold personal style and outspoken views made her a source of inspiration to fellow alt-rockers like Alanis Morissette, PJ Harvey and The Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan.
In 1999, O’Connor was ordained as a priest by the Latin Tridentine Church, a sect that is not recognized by the mainstream Catholic Church. She consistently spoke out on issues related to child abuse, human rights, anti-racism, organized religion, and women’s rights. In 2017, O’Connor changed her name to Magda Davitt. After converting to Islam in 2018, she changed it to Shuhada’ Sadaqat. However, she continued to record and perform under her birth name.
Tributes to O’Connor have already begun to flood in. Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Varadkar paid tribute to her, saying her music “was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare.”
Irish comedian Dara O’Briain said of her death: “That’s just very sad news. Poor thing. I hope she realized how much love there was for her.”
Tim Burgess of the Charlatans said: “Sinead was the true embodiment of a punk spirit. She did not compromise and that made her life more of a struggle. Hoping that she has found peace.”
Journalist Caitlin Moran posted: “She was decades before her time, and fearless. Rest in power, queen.”
Irish film director Mark Cousins added: “Sinead O’Connor was our Irish wild side. Such a big part of our imagined lives.”
