Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, known worldwide for the song “Nothing Compares 2 U” and recognizable by her powerful voice and shaved head, has died at the age of 56, Irish media reported on Wednesday.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead,” the family said in a statement released by public broadcaster RTE. “His family and friends are devastated.”
O’Connor rose to worldwide fame in 1990 with the song “Nothing Compares 2 U”, written by American artist Prince. His first two albums, “The Lion and the Cobra” and “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got”, were major commercial successes.
Ireland has lost “one of [its] greatest and most talented composers, songwriters and performers of recent decades”, reacted Irish President Michael Higgins.
Referring to “her extraordinarily beautiful and unique voice” and “in each of her appearances, the authenticity of her performance”, he also praised her courageous commitment to the important issues she brought to the attention of the public. .
Recognizable by her characteristic shaved head, Ms O’Connor has stirred controversy throughout her career, frequently speaking out against the Catholic Church.
O’Connor had his start in the streets and pubs of Dublin, before recording in 1987 in London his first album, “The Lion and the Cobra”, a punk classic.
It was followed three years later by “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got”, which contains the song that made her world famous: “Nothing Compares 2 U”, written by the American artist Prince.
Her penetrating eyes and melodious voice made her a star in the world, always performing to sold out crowds.
She said she was abused by her mother as a child and had strongly criticized the Catholic Church, which she accused of failing to protect child victims of sexual abuse. In 1992, she had torn on American television an image of Pope John Paul II.
She caused further scandal in 1999 when a dissident Irish church ordained her a “priestess”.
She then gradually disappeared from the limelight, however trying her hand at reggae in 2005 on her album “Throw Down Your Arms” after settling for a time in Jamaica and exploring Rastafarian beliefs.
She later converted to Islam, changing her name to Shuhada’ Sadaqat in 2018.
His death sparked many reactions in Ireland, with Prime Minister Leo Varadkar saying he was “really sorry to hear of the death of Sinead O’Connor”.
“His music was loved around the world and his talent was unparalleled and incomparable,” he added on Twitter, now renamed “X”.
“RIP Sinead O’Connor, I loved working with you, taking photos, doing concerts in Ireland together and chatting, all my love to your family”, reacted on the same network the Canadian singer Bryan Adams.
O’Connor was “one of our greatest musical icons, and someone deeply loved by the people of Ireland, and beyond”, also reacted the deputy Prime Minister and former head of government Micheal Martin .
British 80s pop singer Alison Moyet said O’Connor had a voice that “split stone”. “She was as beautiful as any other girl and never played that role. That’s what I love about her. Iconoclast,” she added.
The singer of the British group The Charlatans, Tim Burgess, also paid tribute to the singer who “embodied the spirit of punk”. “She didn’t compromise, which made her life more difficult.”
“It is hard to think of an artist who has had the social and cultural impact of Sinead,” wrote Colm O’Gorman, executive director of Amnesty International Ireland.
In recent years, the singer has poured out her moods on social media, threatening her former associates with legal action, pouring out her physical and mental health problems, sharing her suicidal thoughts and indulging in her complicated relationship with her family and their children.
She announced in 2018 that she had converted to Islam.
In 2022, his 17-year-old son Shane takes his own life. Sinead O’Connor is then hospitalized after having indicated on social networks that she was also thinking of suicide.
The singer had canceled a series of concerts last year due to her “mourning”, her teams explaining at the time that she had made this decision “for her own health and well-being”.
27/07/2023 10:22:54 – Dublin (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
