OAN’s Brooke Mallory
1:33 PM – Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Sinéad O’Connor, an Irish singer whose 1990 hit cover song “Nothing Compares 2 U” topped the charts, died on Wednesday at the age of 56, according to her family.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad,” the singer’s family said in a statement. Her family and friends are distraught and have asked for privacy at this difficult time.”
The famed Dublin vocalist recorded ten studio albums, and her song “Nothing Compares 2 U” was crowned the Billboard Music Awards’ number one world hit in 1990.
Her rendition of the ballad, composed by artist Prince, topped global charts and won her three Grammy nominations.
The song’s music video, which was directed by John Maybury, was as renowned as O’Connor’s singing performance, consisting largely of a close-up of her face while she sang the lyrics in an emotional performance.
Due to the song’s success, O’Connor was also chosen as Rolling Stone magazine’s artist of the year in 1991. She had received the inaugural Classic Irish Album prize at the RTÉ Choice Music Awards earlier this year.
“You’re very welcome in Ireland. I love you very much and I wish you happiness,” she said.
O’Connor’s three children have vowed to carry on her name. However, her son Shane died last year at the age of 17-years-old.
Throughout her long musical career and public life, she was very political and sparked debate among many groups.
The late Irish singer tore up an image of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live in 1992 to protest sex abuse among clergy members in the Catholic Church.
“I’m not sorry I did it. It was brilliant,” she said about her decision to tear up the photograph. “But it was very traumatizing… It was open season on treating me like a crazy b*tch.”
She also refused to play the U.S. national anthem before her shows, which drew even more public scrutiny and criticism.
In recent years, O’Connor became known for her spiritualism and activism, and she had spoken openly about her mental health difficulties.
O’Connor revealed to Oprah Winfrey in 2007 that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder four years earlier and that she struggled with suicidal ideation and extreme dread prior to her diagnosis.
She often called herself a “work in progress” and even voiced support for American artists like Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus for the way the media treated them.
In a Twitter post, rapper and Law & Order actor Ice T said, “Respect to Sinead… She stood for something… Unlike most people… Rest Easy.”
Her cause of death has not yet been announced as of July 26, 2023 at 1:32 p.m. PST.
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