Sinéad O’Connor Dead At 56

Irish singer-songwriter and activist Sinéad O'Connor, perhaps best known for her 1990 hit "Nothing Compares 2 U," is dead at 56, her family confirmed in a statement to multiple outlets including the BBC 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."

According to her biography, O'Connor was born in 1966 and started her music career when she was discovered by a local drummer in Ireland.

She first shot to fame in 1990 with the release of a cover of Prince's "Nothing Compared 2 U," which topped the charts worldwide. She was a lifelong non-conformist who said that she shaved her head in response to record executives pressuring her to be conventionally glamorous.

“Nothing Compares 2 U” received three Grammy nominations and was the featured track off her acclaimed album “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got,” which helped lead Rolling Stone to name her Artist of the Year in 1991.

The outspoken songstress gained more notoriety in 1992 when she appeared on "Saturday Night Live," on which she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II and called the Catholic Church "the real enemy." For many years, she called for a full investigation into the extent of the church’s role in concealing child abuse by clergy.

O'Connor's biography outlines many years of turmoil in her private life. In 1995, she began a long-running custody battle over her infant daughter with her ex-partner John Waters, who claimed she was an unfit mother. Plagued by these accusations, O'Connor attempted to take her own life in March 1999, her biography states.

O’Connor 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 and she sang the theme song for Season 7 of “Outlander.”

The singer married four times; her 2011 union to drug counselor Barry Herridge lasted just 16 days. She was open about her private life, from her sexuality to her mental illness. She said she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and on social media wrote openly about taking her own life.

In a string of now-deleted tweets from January 2022 posted soon after her 17-year-old son's death by suicide, the singer said “I’ve decided to follow my son. There’s no point living without him.” She later wrote that she was at the hospital and was sorry she upset everyone, adding "Hospital will help a while. But I’m going to find Shane. This is just a delay.”

O’Connor had four children: Jake, with her first husband John Reynolds; Roisin, with John Waters; Shane, with Donal Lunny; and Yeshua Bonadio, with Frank Bonadio.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, dial 988 for the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.