Why did Sinéad O’Connor tear up a picture of the Pope?
LEGENDARY Irish singer, Sinéad O'Connor, passed away at the age of 56.
As many mourn her loss, let's take a look at the life and career of the famed musician.
Who was Sinéad O'Connor?
Sinéad O'Connor was a singer born on December 8, 1966, in Dublin, Ireland.
O'Connor began her music career in the mid-80s when she formed a band with Colm Farrelly.
In 1987, O'Connor released her first album called The Lion and the Cobta which earned the singer a Grammy nomination.
Three years later, O'Connor released her 1990 album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, which was rated the "second best album of the year" by NME.
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Additionally, her biggest hit Nothing Compares 2 U came from her second album.
Throughout her career, the Irish singer released 10 studio albums.
However, on June 4, 2021, O'Connor announced she was retiring from music.
The following year, in January 2022, her 17-year-old son, Shane, tragically passed away when he took his own life.
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Sadly, 18 months later, on July 26, 2023, it was announced the iconic star had passed.
Her heartbroken family confirmed: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead.
"Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."
O'Connor is survived by her three other children — Jake, Roisin, and Yeshua.
Why did Sinéad O'Connor tear up a picture of Pope John Paul II?
One of Sinéad O'Connor's pivotal moments in her career was when she tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II during a controversial episode of Saturday Night Live.
During the October 3, 1992, episode of SNL, O'Connor joined as a musical guest where she performed an acapella version of Bob Marley's War.
O'Connor had the intention of protesting the sexual abuse of children by the Catholic Church.
In an attempt to do so, O'Connor tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II and said: "Fight the enemy."
O'Connor then threw the pieces of the picture at the camera.
What happened after she ripped up the photo?
Following O'Connor's SNL stint, the artist quickly received backlash.
However, in her 2022 memoir Rememberings, she explained a deeper meaning to her actions.
O'Connor wrote: "My intention had always been to destroy my mother's photo of the pope. It represented lies and liars and abuse.
"The type of people who kept these things were devils like my mother."
Additionally, she recalled the moment in Showtime's documentary of her life called Nothing Compares.
The singer said: "I acted at the time in the way that I felt would be most true to myself.
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"I wasn't thinking to myself, 'I must be strong.' I didn't know I was strong. An artist's job is sometimes to create the difficult conversations that need to be had.
"That's what art is for."