NOTHING COMPARED 2 U
SINEAD O’Connor led a turbulent life that saw her transform from a teenage shoplifter to a global music star.
The controversial singer, who died aged 56, had always been open about her struggles - from her troubled childhood to the devastating loss of her 17-year-old Shane O'Connor.
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The Irish legend's life was filled with child abuse, isolation, mental health issues and repeated suicide attempts.
Born in Glenageary, County Dublin on December 8, 1966, Sinead was one of five children raised Roman Catholic.
The star had previously opened up about the abuse she experienced at the hands of her parents - who split up when she was eight years old.
At the age of 15, Sinead's shoplifting and truancy saw her put in one of the notorious Magdalene asylums for 18 months.
Speaking about her traumatic experience years later, the singer recalled being sent to the Sisters of Our Lady Charity when she was just 14 years old after she was branded a "problem child."
“I will never experience such panic and terror and agony over anything like I did at that place,” she said in 1990.
Read more on the tragic death of pop superstar Sinead O'Connor:
- Legendary singer Sinead O'Connor has died aged just 56
- he star's tragic final post has been revealed
- The last picture of Sinead showed her beaming as she won an award
- Sinead made a heartbreaking vow after her son died aged just 17
- The superstar had a turbulent relationship history
- Her health battle saw the singer "quit music"
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She told the Irish Sun at the time: "We were girls in there, not women, just children really. And the girls in there cried every day.
"It was a prison. We didn’t see our families, we were locked in, cut off from life, deprived of a normal childhood.
"We were told we were there because we were bad people. Some of the girls had been raped at home and not believed.
"One girl was in because she had a bad hip and her family didn’t know what to do with her. It was a great grief to us."
Sinead said that her 18-month-long stay at the High Park rehabilitation centre left her angry and was part of the reason she ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II during a live TV performance.
Looking directly into the camera after singing Bob Marley's War, on US show Saturday Night Live, Sinead said "fight the real enemy" before tearing the photo of the Pontiff.
During her time locked up in the Magdalene asylum, the musician began to discover her love of singing.
In 1984 she met Colm Farrelly, with whom she formed a band called Ton Ton Macoute.
But when her mum died in a car crash the following year, Sinead left the group and moved to London.
There she worked with U2 record boss Fachtna O'Ceallaigh, who eventually organised for her to produce her own debut album, while pregnant with her son Jack.
Her first LP was a big success but her breakthrough hit came in 1990 with power ballad Nothing Compares 2 U which topped the charts in 13 countries.
The music video - which was a close-up of Sinead's face as she sings in a black polo neck - is now thought of as one of the 20th century's most iconic videos.
Sinead said her tears in the video were genuine and that she was thinking about her mother while using the bel canto singing technique that helps express emotion.
She won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance in 1990 but boycotted the awards ceremony.
The singer went on to release eight more albums, the most recent being 2014's I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss.
In her personal life, the singer has been married four times and had four children Jake Reynolds, Roisin Waters and Yeshua Francis Neil Bonadio and Shane O'Connor.
Sinead's first husband was music producer John Reynolds, whom she married in 1987.
She later fought a long custody battle with Irish writer John Waters after the birth of her daughter Roisin in 1995.
The singer married journalist Nick Sommerlad in 2001, before their relationship ended in 2004.
She had her third child Shane with artist Donal Lummy in 2004, and her fourth child Yeshua with Frank Bonadio in 2006.
Sinead married her close friend Steve Cooney in 2010, before they separated a year later.
Her final marriage to therapist Barry Herridge ended after they "lived together for 7 days only".
O'Connor said in 2003 that she had also had three relationships with women.
Her 17-year-old son Shane was tragically found dead last year after he went missing from Dublin's Tallaght Hospital following years of struggling with mental health issues.
Sinead described him as the “light of my life”, adding: "My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace."
She had vowed never to sing again, after announcing her son had "decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God".
Sinead held a Hindu funeral for Shane, placing a pack of cigarettes in his coffin.
Her son's death was a catastrophic blow to the star as she had been trying to balance fame, mental problems and motherhood for years.
On October 25, 2018, Sinead, 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."
Sinead then changed her name last year to Magda Davitt, saying in an interview that she wanted to be "free of parental curses".
The tragic news of her death was announced by her family in an emotional statement that read: "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."
In a statement, the Met Police said her death is not being treated as suspicious.
A spokesperson said: "Police were called at 11:18hrs on Wednesday, 26 July to reports of an unresponsive woman at a residential address in the SE24 area.
"Officers attended. A 56-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
"Next of kin have been notified.
"The death is not being treated as suspicious. A file will be prepared for the Coroner."
The legendary artist was last pictured accepting a music award at the RTÉ Choice Music Prize in Dublin this March, where she won the Classic Irish Album award.
In the pics, O'Connor can be seen beaming, laughing and waving to fans.
In her final Twitter post last week, O'Connor said that she had been an "undead night creature" since Shane took his own life in January last year.
She said: "Been living as undead night creature since. He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul.
"We were one soul in two halves. He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally.
"I am lost in the bardo without him."
In a Twitter post on June 6 this year, Sinead quoted a Hawaiian prayer.
It ran: "This is dedicated to the many upon whom I have in my life so far brought suffering and is also, with love, for anyone who has in their lives so far brought suffering upon me."
In an earlier post, she said: "Never forget who helped you in a difficult time."
Shared on June 7, 2016, O’Connor's last Instagram post was a black-and-white picture of herself smiling.
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In the heartbreaking snap, the singer is dressed simply in a black t-shirt against a plain background.
The post's caption read: "Love the life you have and be grateful for what you are."
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