Singer Shuhada’ Sadaqat FKA Sinead O’Connor Passes Away At 56! RIP.
THR reports.
Irish Singer Sinéad O’Connor Dies at 56
O’Connor topped the charts internationally with the Prince-written hit “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor, who topped the charts internationally with the Prince-written hit “Nothing Compares 2 U,” has died. She was 56.
Her family confirmed the death in a statement to the BBC on Wednesday.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad,” the statement read. “Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
O’Connor was born in Dublin on Dec. 8, 1966. She had a complicated and controversial music career, speaking openly about politics, spirituality and her mental health struggles. She famously ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live in 1992 and weeks later was booed offstage at New York City’s Madison Square Garden during a Bob Dylan tribute concert.
She also objected to the national anthem being played at her concerts, causing some radio stations to ban her music. It also caused O’Connor to feud with Frank Sinatra, who was unhappy with her decision.
O’Connor released her debut album, The Lion and the Cobra, in 1987, and followed it with 1990’s I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, which featured “Nothing Compares 2 U.” The track was an international success for O’Connor but was first recorded by Prince for 1985’s The Family, his album with his band of the same name. The song spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and helped O’Connor earn four Grammy nominations for the song and album, but she withdrew from the competition.
The song’s music video, featuring close-ups of O’Connor and her signature shaved head, was also a success. Miley Cyrus’ 2013 hit “Wrecking Ball” borrowed from O’Connor’s video but also featured Cyrus nude and licking a sledgehammer. O’Connor wrote an open letter to the singer, warning her to avoid being sexually exploited by the music industry.
O’Connor released 10 albums — her last full-length release was 2014’s I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss. She released her memoir, Rememberings, in 2021.
The singer said growing up in an abusive household led to her depression. She added that becoming famous didn’t help matters. “I was always kind of very anxious and not necessarily able to experience happiness or fun or whatever,” she said on The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2007.
She said at 33 she had her first serious suicide attempt, and four years later she was diagnosed as bipolar. “The volume just slowly went up and up and up,” she told Winfrey. “It’s almost very difficult to explain when you are the person that suffers from the thing, but the best way I can describe it is it’s almost like before you get ill, you are a solid wall … and while you’re ill, it’s like the bricks are falling away and it’s one teetering little brick.”
Her last public appearance was at the RTÉ Choice Music Awards in Dublin in March, where she received a standing ovation after winning classic Irish album for I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. She dedicated the award to “all refugees in Ireland.”
O’Connor revealed in 2022 that her 17-year-old son died by suicide. Months later she canceled her shows for the year “due to continuing grief over the tragic loss of her beloved son Shane.” She was married four times and is survived by her three children.
She converted to Islam in 2018 and changed her name to Shuhada’ Sadaqat.
On behalf of the IP team, I offer our condolences to the family, friends and fans of Shuhada’ Sadaqat FKA Sinead O’Connor.
