The news about the death of one of the most famous Irish artists, Sinéad O’Connor, came just over a year after her son passed away. O’Connor’s 17-year-old son died by suicide, and she could never fully recover from that loss.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad,” her family shared in a statement to The Irish Times. “Her family and friends are heartbroken and have asked for privacy during this very tough time.”
Sinéad was born in Dublin on December 8, 1966, and her childhood was quite difficult. With a mother who was abusive, the singer dedicated her life to advocating against child abuse, wanting to ensure that no other child would have to go through what she did.
Throughout her career, especially after her big hit in 1990 with Nothing Compares 2 U, O’Connor raised awareness and spoke candidly about her spiritual journey, activism, and struggles with mental health.
The controversies in her life began when there were rumors about the Catholic Church hiding sexual abuse cases, which led to protests. During an episode of Saturday Night Live, O’Connor shared her views on the situation in a very controversial way by tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II while singing Bob Marley’s War, urging the audience to “fight the real enemy.”
Her choices had an impact on her career, but the singer mentioned that she felt no regrets. “Everyone wants a pop star, right? But I see myself as a protest singer. I just needed to express my feelings. I never wanted to be famous,” she stated in her 2021 memoir Rememberings.
In 2018, O’Connor embraced Islam after being a Christian her whole life and even becoming a priest in the Irish Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church. She later changed her name to Shuhada’ Davitt.
This is me! -🤔🙄🤣😱🥴 pic.twitter.com/NDFgsqjUHG
— Inspirational Quotes (@SeffSaid) July 17, 2023
Not long before she passed away, O’Connor tweeted about the pain she felt from her son’s death. In reply to a tweet from the Inspirational Quotes account that asked: “Tell me how your life is going using emojis,” the late Irish artist shared 10 crying emojis along with the hashtag: “lostmy17yrOldSonToSuicidein2022.”
“I’ve been living like a night creature since then,” she expressed in her heartfelt tweet on July 17. “He was the love of my life, the light of my soul. We were two halves of one soul. He was the only person who ever loved me without conditions.”
She finished with: “I feel lost in the bardo without him.”
