Sinead O’Connor Passed Away At 56

The Irish singer Sinead O’Connor passed away at the age of 56. She was best known for her number-one song “Nothing Compares 2 U.”

The Telegraph reported that the cause of her passing remains unknown. Throughout her career, she has battled mental health problems, most notably last year following her son’s passing.

A Voice Amidst Troubled Childhood

Born on December 8, 1966, O’Connor was the third of five children and grew up in a troubled home where she allegedly suffered abuse from both her parents. Her early life was tumultuous, and at 15 years old, she was placed in a church-run institution where she endured traumatic experiences.

The singer would later recollect the terrifying event, saying:

“I will never experience such panic and terror and agony over anything like I did at that place. If you were bad, they sent you upstairs to sleep in the old folks’ home. You’re in there in the pitch black, you can smell the shit and the puke and everything, and these old women are moaning in their sleep.”

O’Connor started singing about this time, partially as a coping mechanism for the stress of her situation. She performed at a wedding as a teenager for her first gig. She later then found the experience to be so enjoyable that she was inspired to seek a career in music.

The young singer eventually decided to drop out of school to pursue her passion and joined a band in Dublin. Music industry professionals were drawn to O’Connor’s local performances and offered her her first contract.

Path to Global Fame

She collaborated on the song “Heroine” with U2’s Edge in 1986, contributing vocals to the tune that later featured on the soundtrack to the movie Captive. A year later, she released her debut album, The Lion and the Cobra, which garnered international recognition and earned her first Grammy nomination. The radio played “Mandinka” and “I Want Your (Hands on Me)” a lot, with the latter song receiving particular attention because it was featured in A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master.

However, it was her 1990 album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, featuring the iconic song “Nothing Compares 2 U,” that catapulted her to global stardom. The song, originally written by Prince, struck a chord with audiences worldwide and topped the charts in over 20 countries. It even spent four weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.

Despite her fame, O’Connor remained a defiant and outspoken artist. In 1992, she made headlines by tearing up a picture of Pope John Paul II during a performance on Saturday Night Live, making a statement against child abuse in the Catholic Church. While the incident generated controversy, O’Connor never regretted her actions, saying:

“I’m not sorry I did it. It was brilliant.”

The Retirement Announcement

O’Connor was still in demand as a singer even after the Pope-ripping scandal. For the soundtrack of the movie In the Name of the Father, she recorded the Bono song “You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart” in 1993. A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and the Who included her as one of the many notable special guests in 1994. The musical event eventually produced a live album.

Over time, O’Connor collaborated with various musicians and released ten albums, earning accolades and awards for her music. In 2021, she announced her retirement, “I’ve gotten older and I’m tired. So it’s time for me to hang up my nipple tassels, having truly given my all,” but later expressed her intention to continue touring.

Sinead O’Connor’s Life Struggles

Bipolar disorder, addiction, and fibromyalgia were just a few of the health problems O’Connor had to contend with throughout her life. Having been married four times, the singer has four kids. Shane, her son who was 17 years old, was discovered dead on January 8th, 2022. After sending a string of alarming tweets, O’Connor admitted herself to the hospital a few days later. She wrote:

“I’ve decided to follow my son. There is no point living without him. Everything I touch, I ruin. I only stayed for him. And now he’s gone.”