Venerated Irish Singer-Songwriter Sinéad O’Connor Passes Away at 56

by Keyz

But her music was often overshadowed by her personal struggles and non-conformist stance. The singer made headlines in 1992 when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” and called the church the enemy.

Her resistance to conforming to societal norms extended to her music. She skipped the Grammy ceremony, alleging it was overly commercialized. She openly feuded with icons like Frank Sinatra and Prince, and controversially declared her support for the Irish Republican Army in 1989, only to retract it a year later.

In 1999, O’Connor was ordained a priestess in the Latin Tridentine Church, an act that drew widespread criticism in Ireland. For years, she campaigned for an investigation into the Catholic Church’s role in child abuse concealment. She announced her conversion to Islam in 2018, adopting the name Shuhada’ Davitt, and later, Shuhada Sadaqat. However, she continued to use Sinéad O’Connor professionally.

Chestermere mourns the passing of acclaimed Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor, who died at the age of 56, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the world of music. O’Connor, renowned for her strikingly unique sound and for her tenacity in confronting societal norms, battled mental illness and personal struggles, as heartbreaking as they were inspirational. Her family issued a statement on Wednesday, expressing their devastation and requesting privacy at this time of mourning, with no disclosure of the cause of death.

O’Connor, famously outspoken about her bipolar disorder diagnosis, had previously expressed her despair publicly, revealing in a 2017 Facebook video from a New Jersey motel her struggle to stay alive for others. The tragic suicide of her teenage son Shane last year intensified her grief, resulting in hospitalization.

Her music career, which began on the streets of Dublin, catapulted her to international fame with her 1987 debut album, “The Lion and the Cobra.” O’Connor’s unique voice and shaved head made her a global sensation, particularly her heartbreaking rendition of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which topped charts worldwide.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar described O’Connor’s talent as “unmatched and beyond compare,” in a statement mourning her passing. O’Connor, who had a troubled childhood, credited music for saving her life. She found success with her 1991 album, “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got,” which featured “Nothing Compares 2 U” and helped her earn Artist of the Year from Rolling Stone. O’Connor leaves behind a substantial body of work, including the albums “Universal Mother” and “Faith and Courage.” Her most recent work was “ I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss,” released in 2014, and she sang the theme song for Season 7 of “Outlander.”

O’Connor was married four times and had four children. She briefly joined the Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party in 2014, calling for a new generation of activists, but later withdrew her application.

Her passing is felt keenly not just in her home country, but across the globe. Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill mourns, saying, “Ireland has lost one of our most powerful and successful singer-songwriter and female artists.”

With CATHY BURNESS