Sinead O’Connor, the outspoken Irish singer-songwriter known for her powerful, evocative voice, as showcased on her biggest hit, a breathtaking rendition of Prince’s ‘Nothing Compares 2 U,’ and for her political provocations onstage and off, has died. She was 56. Her long-time friend, Bob Geldof, the Irish musician and activist, confirmed her death, as did her family in a statement. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead,” the statement said. “Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
Recognizable by her shaved head and by wide eyes that could appear pained or full of rage, Sinead O’Connor released ten studio albums, beginning with the alternative hit ‘The Lion and the Cobra’ in 1987. She went on to sell millions of albums worldwide, breaking out with ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got’ in 1990. That album, featuring ‘Nothing Compares 2 U,’ a No. 1 hit around the world and an MTV staple, won a Grammy Award in 1991 for best alternative music performance.
Sinead Marie Bernadette O’Connor was born in Glenageary, a suburb of Dublin. Her father, John, was an engineer, and her mother, Johanna, was a dressmaker. When she was 15, Sinead sang ‘Evergreen’ the love theme from ‘A Star Is Born,’ made famous by Barbra Streisand at a wedding, and was discovered by Paul Byrne, a drummer who had an affiliation with the Irish band U2. ‘The Lion and the Cobra’ marked her as a rising talent with a spiritual heart, an ear for offbeat melody and a fierce and combative style.
Sinead rarely shrank from controversy, but it often came with consequences for her career. In 1990, she threatened to cancel a performance in New Jersey if ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ was played at the concert hall ahead of her appearance. Sinead, appearing on SNL in 1992 shortly after the release of her third album, ‘Am I Not Your Girl?’ ended an a cappella performance of Bob Marley’s ‘War’ by ripping a photo of Pope John Paul II into pieces as a stance against sexual abuse in the Roman Catholic Church. That incident immediately made her a target of criticism and scorn, from social conservatives and beyond.
Sinead never had another major hit in the United States after ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes,’ from ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got,’ although for a time she remained a staple on the British charts. But in her 2021 memoir, “Rememberings,” Sinead portrayed ripping up the photo of the pope as a righteous act of protest — and therefore a success.
‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, originally released by the Family, a Prince side project, in 1985 became a phenomenon when Sinead released it five years later. Several years ago, she converted to Islam and started using the name Shuhada Sadaqat, though she continued to answer to Sinead O’Connor as well. In 2021, she published a memoir, ‘Rememberings,’ in which she spoke openly of a traumatic childhood. She wrote in her memoir that she was married four times and that she had four children: three sons, Jake, Shane and Yeshua, and a daughter, Roisin. Her son Shane died by suicide in 2022, at 17.