Sinéad O’Connor death: Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor dies aged 56

Iconic Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor has died aged 56.

The singer was best known for hits such as Nothing Compares 2 U and Drink Before the War.

In a statement to RTE, the singer’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.”

At this time no cause has been identified.

She was public about her mental illness, saying that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. O’Connor posted a Facebook video in 2017 from a New Jersey motel where she had been living, saying that she was staying alive for the sake of others and that if it were up to her, she’d be “gone.”

When her teenage son Shane died by suicide in 2022, O’Connor tweeted that her son had “decided to end his earthly struggle” and that there was “no point living without him” and was shortly hospitalised afterward.

Recognisable by her shaved head and elfin features, O’Connor began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame.

She was a star from her 1987 debut album The Lion and the Cobra and became a sensation in 1990 with her cover of Prince’s ballad Nothing Compares 2 U, a seething, shattering performance that topped charts from Europe to Australia and was heightened by a promotional video featuring the gray-eyed O’Connor in intense close-up.

O’Connor was also a staunch non-conformist with her political views and activism often overshadowing her music. Perhaps her most outspoken criticism was that of the Catholic church.

In 1992, O’Connor ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II live on the skit show Saturday Night Live.

It was directly following an a capella performance of the Bob Marley song, War. At the end of the song, O’Connor looked at the camera and said “fight the real enemy”, a protest against the Catholic Church.