Striking photos from the life of Sinead O’Connor as the Irish music legend dies aged 56
- Irish singer Sinead O’Connor has died at the age of 56, it was reported last night
- READ MORE: Sinead O’Connor dead: Irish music legend dies aged 56 after years of mental health battles – and 18 months after her 17-year-old son Shane died
Sinead O’Connor has died at the age of 56 after years of mental health battles, her ‘devastated’ family has confirmed.
The Irish singer’s death comes a year after her 17-year-old son Shane tragically died by suicide in January 2022, after escaping hospital while on suicide watch.
At the time of her death, the musician, who changed her name to Shuhada’ Sadaqat in 2018 when she converted to Islam, was thought to be spending her time between Co Roscommon, Ireland, and London.
In her last Tweet, O’Connor posted a photo of Shane and said: ‘Been living as undead night creature since. He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul.
‘We were one soul in two halves. He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally. I am lost in the bardo without him.’
This iconic image of Sinead, taken circa 1995, some five years after she had become globally famous, is one of the most recognisable snaps of the star
Taken during a 1990 gig in Chicago, this image showcases the singer’s inimitable personal style
Mother-of-four Sinead shot to stardom across the world in 1990 thanks to her heartrending cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U.
Her road to stardom had been a rocky one: Sinead was born into a troubled family in Dublin on December 8, 1966.
Later in her life she claimed she started having mental health issues because her mother physically and sexually abused her as a child.
She was placed in corrective school aged 15 after bouts of stealing. An Grianán Training Centre, in Dublin was previously a notorious Magdalene laundry for ‘fallen women’.
One of the nuns there spotted her musical talent and bought her a guitar and pushed her to have lessons.
Through an advert in a Dublin music magazine she met Colm Farrelly and together formed the band Ton Ton Macoute, which brough O’Connor to the attention of the global music industry.
After signing with Ensign Records she released her album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got in 1990, which sold more than seven million copies and included her breakthrough hit Nothing Compares 2 U.
This soulful snap of the star shows her performing during Saturday Night Live on September 29, 1990
Throughout her career, a number of striking images came to represent her unique talent, and great individual style.
Among the images, is an intimate 1995 headshot of the singer, who appears to be barefaced, staring into the camera lens.
Another snap, this one taken during a 1990 gig in Chicago, showcases the iconic musician’s unique style, with her trademark buzzcut, as well as her intense energy.
The star was also photographed while performing on Saturday Night Live on September 29, 1990.
In the haunting image, Sinead holds a guitar, while singing with a serene expression, with what appears to be closed eyes.
A further image, taken as the musician performed at The Beacon Theater in New York City, on August 26, 1997, shows a different side.
Wearing a white lace dress, and with longer hair, she appears deep in thought while she sings into the microphone.
Showing off a softer side, Sinead performs at The Beacon Theater on August 26, 1997 in New York City
In a statement, O’Connor’s family said: ‘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.’
Tributes have been pouring in for the adored singer after her death was announced.
Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: ‘Really sorry to hear of the passing of Sinéad O’Connor.
‘Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare.
‘Condolences to her family, her friends and all who loved her music.
‘Ar dheis Dé go Raibh a hAnam. [At the right hand of God rest her soul/Rest in peace.]’
Tanaiste Micheál Martin said he was ‘devastated’ to hear of O’Connor’s passing.
He added: ‘One of our greatest musical icons, and someone deeply loved by the people of Ireland, and beyond.
‘Our hearts goes out to her children, her family, friends and all who knew and loved her.’
Comedian Dara O’Briain said: ‘Ah s****, Sinead O’Connor has died. That’s just very sad news. Poor thing. I hope she realised how much love there was for her.’
The singer was known to have had years of mental health battles before her death was reported last night
Long known as much for her shaved head and outspoken views on religion, sex, feminism and war as for her music, Sinead will be remembered in some quarters for ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II during a television appearance on ‘Saturday Night Live.’
Brash and outspoken – her shaved head, pained expression, and shapeless wardrobe a direct challenge to popular culture’s long-prevailing notions of femininity and sexuality – Sinead changed the image of women in music in the early 1990s.
‘Everyone wants a pop star, see?’ she wrote in her 2021 memoir Rememberings. ‘But I am a protest singer. I just had stuff to get off my chest. I had no desire for fame.’
Her political and cultural stances and troubled private life often overshadowed her music.
She feuded with Frank Sinatra over her refusal to allow the playing of ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ at one of her shows and accused Prince of physically threatening her.
In 1989 she declared her support for the Irish Republican Army, a statement she retracted a year later.
Around the same time, she skipped the Grammy ceremony, saying it was too commercialised.
Irish music legend Sinead O’Connor was known as much for her brash, outspoken opinions as for her music
At the time of her death, the musician, who changed her name to Shuhada’ Sadaqat in 2018 when she converted to Islam, was thought to be spending her time between Co Roscommon, Ireland, and London
A critic of the Catholic Church well before allegations sexual abuse were widely reported, Sinead made headlines in October 1992 when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II while appearing live on NBC’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ and denounced the church as the enemy.
In 1999, Sinead caused uproar in Ireland when she became a priestess of the breakaway Latin Tridentine Church – a position that was not recognized by the mainstream Catholic Church.
For many years, she called for a full investigation into the extent of the church’s role in concealing child abuse by clergy.
In 2010, when Pope Benedict XVI apologized to Ireland to atone for decades of abuse, Sinead condemned the apology for not going far enough and called for Catholics to boycott Mass until there was a full investigation into the Vatican’s role, which by 2018 was making international headlines.
In her last Tweet, O’Connor posted a photo of Shane and said: ‘Been living as undead night creature since. He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul’
Sinead’s death comes a year after the mother-of-four’s son Shane, 17, took his own life in January 2022 after escaping hospital while on suicide watch
‘People assumed I didn’t believe in God. That’s not the case at all. I’m Catholic by birth and culture and would be the first at the church door if the Vatican offered sincere reconciliation,’ she wrote in the Washington Post in 2010.
Sinead announced in 2018 that she had converted to Islam and would be adopting the name Shuhada’ Davitt – although she continued to use Sinéad O’Connor professionally.
Sinead announced she was retiring from music in 2003, but she continued to record new material. Her most recent album was ‘ I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss,’ released in 2014.
The singer married four times and had four children: Jake, with her first husband John Reynolds; Roisin, with John Waters; Shane – who died last year – with Donal Lunny; and Yeshua Bonadio, with Frank Bonadio.
She is survived by her three children.
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