Irish singer Sinead O’Connor has died aged 56, the Irish Times and Irish public broadcaster RTE reported on Wednesday (July 26th). The causes of his death are not yet known.

In a statement reported by RTE, the singer’s family said: “It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Sinead. His family and friends are devastated and have asked for privacy at this very difficult time. »

Author, composer, performer and musician, the artist born in 1966 in Dublin had gained worldwide fame in 1990 with her cover of the title Nothing Compares 2 U by Prince. Her bubbly, heartbreaking performance shot to the top of the charts from Europe to Australia and was bolstered by a promo clip where she performs the track with gray eyes staring into the camera, in a close-up.

Power of his voice and worldwide success

In addition to her iconic cover, the singer was known for the power of her voice as well as for her strong personality and her refusal to conform. She said she shaved her head in response to pressure from record producers to be conventionally glamorous.

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

“She proved that an artist could refuse to compromise and still stay in touch with millions of listeners hungry for background music,” the magazine noted at the time.

“I am very sorry to hear of the death of Sinead O’Connor”, reacted on X (ex-Twitter), the Irish Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar, who also added: “His music was appreciated all over the world and his talent was unequaled and matchless. »

Over the course of her career, she has released ten studio albums and in 2023 received the top prize for Irish Classical Album at the RTE Choice Music Awards 2022, a music award given annually by RTE to the best album by a band or musician born in the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland or holder of an Irish passport.

The singer received a standing ovation and dedicated her award, won for her album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got (1990), to “every member of Ireland’s refugee community”.

Church, IRA… Controversial positions

However, Sinead O’Connor’s political and cultural positions and his private life have often overshadowed his music.

At the height of her success, the artist, who had declared that she had been abused by her mother during her childhood, had strongly criticized the Catholic Church, which she accused of not having protected children who were victims of sexual abuse in her within and denounced the role of the clergy. In October 1992, she tore up an image of Pope John Paul II on American television, and again caused a scandal in 1999 when a dissident Irish Church ordained her “priestess”.

In 1989, Sinaed O’Connor also declared her support for the Irish Republican Army (IRA), a support she eventually withdrew a year later. At the same time, she did not participate in the Grammy Awards ceremony, which she considered too commercial.

suicidal thoughts

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 Rasta beliefs.

In recent years, she has expressed her feelings 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 her children.

She has spoken publicly about her mental illness, stating that she has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. In 2017, Ms. O’Connor also posted a video on Facebook from a New Jersey motel where she lived, saying she was staying alive for the sake of others and if it was up to her, she would be ” part “.

After her 17-year-old son Shane committed suicide in 2022, she tweeted that there was no point living without him and was soon hospitalized.

She announced in 2018 that she had converted to Islam and said she would adopt the name Shuhada’ Davitt, although she continued to use Sinead O’Connor professionally.