Sinéad O’Connor death updates — Irish singer’s producer says star’s final album was a single track from being finished
IRISH legend Sinéad O'Connor died at the age of 56 - but she still has more to share with fans.
The singer announced on July 11, barely two weeks before she was discovered unresponsive in her new London home, that she would "soon be finishing my album."
No Veteran Dies Alone, her new album, has been in the works for approximately five years and would have been Sinéad's first release since I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss in 2014.
Sinéad's producer David Holmes said that the "emotional and really personal" album is eight tracks long and that she was only one song away from completing it, per Rolling Stone.
The release of the album is currently unknown, and David said: "She was excited about it and excited to get it finished. This is up to her family and estate, and I will gladly do as I’m told."
The Nothing Compares 2 U singer. 56, was tragically "pronounced dead at the scene" on Wednesday morning - but the capital's Met Police force has confirmed her death is "not being treated as suspicious."
Sinéad leaves behind three children. Shane, her fourth son, died last year at the age of 17.
Follow our Sinéad O'Connor death updates blog for more news...
Sinéad was working on a new album when she died
Sinéad had been “completing her new album” according to her management company, along with reviewing tour dates for next year and considering transforming her memoir into a movie, when she was found dead on Wednesday.
“Wonderful plans were afoot at this time,” representatives from 67 Management said after learning of her death.
The management company shared a message on their website sending “love, our thoughts, our prayers” to Sinead's family.
“As tribute to those who were part of Sinead’s team over our tenure it has to be mentioned that Sinead was completing her new album, reviewing new tour dates for 2024 and considering opportunities in relation to a movie of her book," they said.
"It has been an honour to have worked with Sinead professionally, as musicians, producers and her artist managers over the last nine years, but much, much more than that Sinead was family. May she rest in peace," they finished.
Sinéad’s discography
The following list details Sinéad’s award-winning discography from the moment she began releasing music in the late 1980s:
- 1987: The Lion and the Cobra
- 1990: I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got
- 1992: Am I Not Your Girl?
- 1994: Universal Mother
- 1997: Gospel Oak (EP)
- 2000: Faith and Courage
- 2002: Sean-Nós Nua
- 2005: Throw Down Your Arms
- 2007: Theology
- 2012: How About I Be Me (and You Be You)?
- 2014: I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss
- Upcoming: No Veteran Dies Alone
Morrissey blasts 'hypocritical' tributes to Sinead, part three
Singer Morrissey has shared a scathing commentary of the people who are now publically mourning Sinéad O’Connor's passing that did not support her when she was alive.
"Because she refused to be labelled, and she was degraded, as those few who move the world are always degraded. Why is ANYBODY surprised that Sinead O’Connor is dead?," he said in the open letter posted on his website.
"Who cared enough to save Judy Garland, Whitney Houston, Amy Winehouse, Marilyn Monroe, Billie Holiday?," he asked.
"Where do you go when death can be the best outcome? Was this music madness worth Sinead’s life? No, it wasn’t," he wrote.
"She was a challenge, and she couldn’t be boxed-up, and she had the courage to speak when everyone else stayed safely silent. She was harassed simply for being herself."
"Her eyes finally closed in search of a soul she could call her own," he said.
Morrissey blasts 'hypocritical' tributes to Sinéad, part two
Singer Morrissey shared a harsh critique of the people who are now publically mourning Sinéad O’Connor's death but that did not support her when she was alive.
"The cruel playpen of fame gushes with praise for Sinéad today… with the usual moronic labels of “icon” and “legend”. You praise her now ONLY because it is too late. You hadn’t the guts to support her when she was alive and she was looking for you," he said in the open letter posted on his website.
"Music CEOs who had put on their most charming smile as they refused her for their roster are queuing-up to call her a 'feminist icon'… when it was YOU who talked Sinéad into giving up."
Sinéad's cause of death has yet to be confirmed by authorities.
Morrissey blasts 'hypocritical' tributes to Sinéad
Legendary singer and songwriter Morrissey, previously of The Smiths, shared a harsh critique of the people who are now publically mourning Sinéad O’Connor's passing that did not support her when she was alive.
“She had only so much ‘self’ to give," Morrissey said in the open letter, posted on his website.
"She was dropped by her label after selling 7 million albums for them. She became crazed, yes, but uninteresting, never. She had done nothing wrong. She had proud vulnerability," he said.
"There is a certain music industry hatred for singers who don’t ‘fit in’ (this I know only too well), and they are never praised until death - when, finally, they can’t answer back."
Annie Lennox pays tribute to the 'fierce and fragile' Sinéad
Scottish singer Annie Lennox has shared a moving tribute to the late Sinéad O'Connor, who passed away on Wednesday.
"You bared your soul… Shared your brilliance," she wrote on Twitter.
"Your incredible voice.. Fierce and fragile, Lioness and lamb, Sweet singing bird," she wrote in the tweet.
"Keenly tuned, Trembling.. Tip-toeing along the high wire."
"Or stamping the ground, Raw, Wounded, Fearless...," Lennox wrote, attaching a photo of the icon as a young woman.
Documentary about Sinéad’s life available for streaming now, continued
Sinéad would smoke marijuana and "bop around the studio" to reggae, Director John Maybury says in the documentary Nothing Compares that is airing now on Paramount+, or Hulu and Amazon with a Showtime subscription.
"Looking down that lens I saw this connection coming down the camera. This is really something else, this is not my direction, this is entirely her," he said.
Kathryn Ferguson, another director who worked on the documentary, expressed her sadness at Sinéad's passing and tweeted that she hopes the film can "serve as a reminder of her greatness" after her death on Wednesday aged 56.
"Feeling bereft and in shock as I know a lot of you are too. Sinéad wasn't family or a close friend but I feel like I've lost a limb. I'm so happy we managed to make Nothing Compares, that we had her blessing and that she got to see the reaction to it and feel the love.”
“We spoke a bit this past year and I know the reaction to the film brought her some lightness amongst the heartbreak. I'm just so sorry she's gone," she said.
Documentary about Sinéad's life available for streaming now
The documentary, titled Nothing Compares after the icon's first hit cover, was released in cinemas last year and can currently be streamed on Paramount+, or Hulu and Amazon with a Showtime subscription.
The film chronicles Sinéad's life with rarely-seen footage as she rises to stardom in the 90s and faces controversy in both her career and relationships.
"In one way, I loved it. Obviously, I was very a young woman and you kind of fantasize about being famous. In another way, I was frightened by it," she told The Daily Mail about the biopic.
"What maybe was different for me was the timing of the success thing, it meant that I suddenly had this identity."
"I didn't feel like it was really me. To be honest, I also had very little self-esteem and I couldn't understand why anyone liked my records."
What happened to Shane
After Shane went missing in the first few days of January last year, police launched an appeal for assistance finding Shane with Sinéad tweeting: "Shane, your life is precious. God didn’t chisel that beautiful smile on your beautiful face for nothing."
"My world would collapse without you. You are my heart. Please don’t stop it from beating. Please don’t harm yourself. Go to the Gardai and let’s get you to hospital," she wrote.
"This is a message for my son, Shane. Shane, it’s not funny anymore all this going missing. You are scaring the crap out of me."
"Could you please do the right thing and present yourself at a Gardai station. If you are with Shane please call the Gardai for his safety".
On January 6, 2022, a spokesperson for the police confirmed that a Missing Person Appeal for the teenager had been "stood down" following the discovery of a body.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988 or chat on 988lifeline.org. You can also text HOME to 741741 for Crisis Text Line.
Sinéad shared a final video of herself weeks before death, continued
Sinéad O’Connor made a rare appearance to appease fans in her last video uploaded to Twitter on July 9, just weeks before her death.
She showed viewers her sunny flat in south London, complete with fresh sunflowers and a guitar for writing new music, but did not seem very chipper.
"I think we're in HD... I look like sh*t either way, which is why I didn't want to make a video," she said.
“But you know, the way your kid unfortunately passing away - it isn't good for one's body, or soul to be fair.”
Sinéad's son Shane died last year by suicide at the age of 17.
Sinéad shared a final video of herself weeks before death
Sinéad O’Connor made a rare appearance to appease fans in her last video uploaded to Twitter on July 9, just weeks before her death.
She had recently switched accounts, from Sinéad O'Connor (@SineadOConnor) to Sinead Marie-Bernarde Aoibheann O’Connor (@786OmShahid), but not everyone was sure what had brought the change.
"I'm making a video because some of you are saying that you don't believe it's my account – it is my account," she said in the short clip.
"But fright not, I'm going to be a good girl," she laughed.
Sinéad O’Connor was an ordained priest before converting to Islam
Sinéad O’Connor had a complicated relationship with religion throughout her life, often stirring up controversy – like the time she tore up an image of the pope on SNL in 1992.
But the icon said she was fiercely spiritual and worshipped God, albeit in her own way.
She was ordained in a niche sect of the Catholic Church – the Latin Tridentine sect, separate from the Roman Catholic Church – in 1999 and became Mother Bernadette Marie, RTÉ News reported.
Sinéad O’Connor changed her legal name – twice
After she had converted to Islam, Sinéad O’Connor changed her name to Shuhada Sadaqat.
“I will be given (another) new name. It will be Shuhada," Sinéad announced via Twitter in 2018.
For the purpose of her music career, Sinéad mentioned she decided to keep her birth name as her stage alias.
This was the second name change she made; Previously, she renamed herself Magda Davitt to disassociate herself from patriarchal standards.
"I no longer want the patriarchal name. The name I have chosen is beautiful and suits me much better," Sinéad shared with fans via Facebook.
"Who cares what anyone says or thinks? Those who love me will call me Magda," she said.
"Those who continue to call me Sinéad are uneducated fools."
Sinéad O’Connor converted to Islam
On October 25, 2018, Sinéad, who was ordained a priest by a Catholic sect during the 1990s, announced she had converted to Islam and changed her name to Shuhada’ Davitt.
The singer tweeted a picture of herself wearing a hijab and told fans: "This is to announce that I am proud to have become a Muslim."
"This is the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian's journey.
"All scripture study leads to Islam. Which makes all other scriptures redundant.
"I will be given (another) new name. It will be Shuhada."
Tori Amos sings tribute to legend Sinéad O’Connor
Singer Tori Amos covered two songs by the late Sinéad O’Connor in tribute to the singer after her death on Wednesday.
Amos performed renditions of ‘Three Babies’ and ‘I Am Stretched On Your Grave’ during a live show in San Francisco to a packed audience in a video shared by NME.
Her take on ‘I Am Stretched On Your Grave’ was slower and more emotional than the original track, portraying her feelings about the star's passing.
Both songs are from Sinéad’s 1990 breakout album ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.'
Amos also took to Twitter to remember Sinéad O’Connor, writing: "Sinead was a force of nature.
"A brilliant songwriter & performer whose talent we will not see the like of again. Such passion, such intense presence & a beautiful soul, who battled her own personal demons courageously.
"Be at peace dear Sinead, you will forever be in our hearts."
Sinéad warned Miley Cyrus, part three
Sinéad's 2013 response to Miley Cyrus after the young singer said the icon inspired her revealed a great deal about Sinead's feelings on the music industry and its treatment of women.
"Real empowerment of yourself as a woman would be to in future refuse to exploit your body or your sexuality in order for men to make money from you," she wrote in an open letter to The Guardian.
"Whether we like it or not, us females in the industry are role models and as such we have to be extremely careful what messages we send to other women."
"The message you keep sending is that it's somehow cool to be prostituted … it's so not cool Miley … it's dangerous," she advised the young pop star.
"Women are to be valued for so much more than their sexuality. We aren't merely objects of desire. I would be encouraging you to send healthier messages to your peers … that they and you are worth more than what is currently going on in your career."
"Kindly fire any motherf**ker who hasn't expressed alarm, because they don't care about you," Sinéad ended the letter.
Sinéad warned Miley Cyrus, part two
When pop star Miley Cyrus gave a nod to Sinéad O’Connor for inspiring her scantily-clad look in her music video for the hit song Wrecking Ball in 2013, Sinéad responded in a brutally honest open letter to The Guardian.
"None of the men ogling you give a sh*t about you either, do not be fooled. Many's the woman mistook lust for love. If they want you sexually that doesn't mean they give a f**k about you. All the more true when you unwittingly give the impression you don't give much of a f**k about yourself," she wrote.
"Yes, I'm suggesting you don't care for yourself. That has to change. You ought be protected as a precious young lady by anyone in your employ and anyone around you, including you. This is a dangerous world," she continued.
"I repeat, you have enough talent that you don't need to let the music business make a prostitute of you. You shouldn't let them make a fool of you either."
"Don't think for a moment that any of them give a flying f**k about you. They're there for the money… we're there for the music. It has always been that way and it will always be that way. The sooner a young lady gets to know that, the sooner she can be REALLY in control," she wrote Miley.
Sinéad warned Miley Cyrus not to be 'pimped' by the music industry
When pop star Miley Cyrus gave a nod to Sinéad O'Connor for inspiring her scantily-clad look in her music video for the hit song Wrecking Ball, Sinéad had to respond.
"I am extremely concerned for you that those around you have led you to believe, or encouraged you in your own belief, that it is in any way 'cool' to be naked and licking sledgehammers in your videos," she said in the open letter penned in 2013 and published by The Guardian.
"It is in fact the case that you will obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped, whether it's the music business or yourself doing the pimping," she wrote.
Cyrus had said she was particularly moved by Sinéad's 'Nothing Compares 2 U' released in 1990.
"The music business doesn't give a sh*t about you, or any of us. They will prostitute you for all you are worth, and cleverly make you think its what YOU wanted … and when you end up in rehab as a result of being prostituted, 'they' will be sunning themselves on their yachts in Antigua, which they bought by selling your body and you will find yourself very alone."
Sinéad’s ex-fiancé faces online attacks for custody dispute, part three
Sinéad and Waters' daughter, Roisin, is now a pastry chef and musician in Ireland, according to the Daily Mail.
But her parents never reconciled, and now fans are asking if the traumatic custody battle could have contributed to Sinéad's death on Wednesday.
"I wonder if John Waters had learned even a tiny bit from Sinéad's beautiful soul would he be different today?" one person asked on Twitter.
"Sinéad O'Connor and John Waters having been together will never make sense," another confirmed.
Sinéad’s ex-fiancé faces online attacks for custody dispute, part two
Sinéad had a tumultuous relationship history throughout her life.
"I have four children by different fathers, only one of whom I married, and I married three other men, none of whom are fathers of my children," she wrote in her 2021 autobiography.
"I can honestly say that the father of my first child and the father of my last child are my best friends in the world. However, with the fathers of the two children in the middle, we would indeed cross the street if we saw each other."
Waters was one of the men she would avoid, she had said.
Sinéad's ex-fiancé faces online attacks for 20-year-old custody dispute
John Waters, the former partner of Sinéad O’Connor and father of their daughter Roisin Waters, has faced renewed backlash for his separation from the star over twenty years ago.
The couple was together for only about a year before separating and beginning a lengthy custody battle that resulted in Waters receiving full custody of their daughter, according to the Daily Mail.
Waters accused Sinéad of mistreating Roisin, accusations she denied and that were eventually dismissed by the court.
"I am not a bad mother. That's not why I am giving up custody. I've been a good mother to Roisin and John Waters accepts this," she said at the time.
But the singer attempted suicide in 1999, leading the court to give custody to Waters.
After Sinéad's untimely death on Wednesday, some fans are wondering if things might have gone differently if Waters had not acted so aggressively decades ago.
Sinéad advised kids to call accountant before help in case of her death
After Sinéad O’Connor’s untimely death at the age of 56 on Wednesday, a comment she made about what she directed her children to do if she died has surfaced.
In an interview with People magazine in 2021, she said that her advice was intended to protect her legacy and children's right to her earnings after her death.
"Because when the artists are dead, they’re much more valuable than when they’re alive," she said.
"It’s kind of gross what record companies do," Sinéad said, referring to Tupac Shakur’s post-mortem success in the 90s.
"That’s why I’ve always instructed my children since they were very small, 'If your mother drops dead tomorrow, before you called 911, call my accountant and make sure the record companies don’t start releasing my records and not telling you where the money is.'"
Sinéad moved to London to feel less lonely
Sinéad O’Connor’s neighbors in south London have opened up about their relationship with the Irish singer, whose death was confirmed by her family on Wednesday.
The 56-year-old moved into the new penthouse earlier this month and regularly talked to those living nearby, according to The Times.
Most of her neighbors did not appear to know she was famous.
One neighbor, 57-year-old Pushpakumara Moragamana, said that he often saw Sinéad smoking outside and shared conversations with her about mental health, religion, and the passing of her son Shane.
He said she had remained "devastated and depressed" over her son's death.
Sinéad O’Connor dealt with multiple tragedies in life
Sinéad O'Connor was born in Glenageary, County Dublin on December 8, 1966, and was one of five children raised Roman Catholic.
Her fourth child, 17-year-old Shane O'Connor, passed away in January last year after he went missing from Tallaght Hospital after years of struggling with mental health issues.
Earlier in her life her mum died in a car crash resulting in Sinead leaving the band Ton Ton Macoute that she created and moving to London.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
About Sinéad's second marriage
On August 17, 2001, Sinéad tied the knot for the second time with Nick Sommerlad, a London-based journalist who works with the Daily Mirror, in Angelsea, Wales.
In July 2001, the singer and the reporter parted ways and filed for divorce.
"Neither Sinéad nor Nick are apportioning any blame on each other and are both saddened by the pain that the split caused to themselves, family, and friends," an insider shared with the abovementioned publication.
"They fell madly in love when they first met. They were so hurt that for a long time, they kept up a pretense and denied any parting.
"But Sinéad knew this could not last and finally told her friends. Despite the huge love there is between them, they found that having married so early in the relationship was a pressure that neither could cope with.
"This was on top of the usual pressure of a rock star married to a media figure. Sinéad has told a number of friends that she will never get married again. It is like asking for trouble."