Sinéad O’Connor 1966 – 2023

Sinéad O’Connor, the Irish singer known for her intense and beautiful voice, her political convictions and the personal tumult that overtook her later years, has died. She was 56 years old.

O’Connor’s recording of “Nothing Compares 2 U” was one of the biggest hits of the early 1990s. Her death was announced by her family. The cause and date of her death were not made public. The statement said: “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.”

Alternative radio in the late 1980s rang with the voices of female singers who defied commercial expectations of what women should look like and how they should sound. But even in a crowd that included Tracy Chapman, Laurie Anderson and the Indigo Girls, O’Connor stood out.

The cover to her first album, released in 1987, was so striking — not just because of her beautiful face. It was her head, bald as an eaglet, and her wrists locked defensively across her heart. The album’s title, The Lion and the Cobra, refers to a verse from Psalm 91 about believers, and the power and resilience of their faith. And throughout her early life, Sinéad O’Connor was resilient.

“I grew up in a severely abusive situation, my mother being the perpetrator,” O’Connor told NPR in 2014. “So much of child abuse is about being voiceless, and it’s a wonderfully healing thing to just make sounds.”

O’Connor started making sounds in a home for juvenile delinquents, after a childhood spent getting booted out of Catholic schools and busted, repeatedly, for shoplifting. But a nun gave her a guitar and she began to sing, on the streets of Dublin and then with a popular Irish band called In Tua Nua.

O’Connor came to the attention of U2’s guitarist The Edge, and she got herself signed to the Ensign/Chrysalis label. Her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, went double platinum in 1990, partly because of a hit love song written by Prince: “Nothing Compares 2 U.”

I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got was a distillation of O’Connor’s prayerful sense of music and her fury over social injustice. She rejected its four Grammy nominations as being too commercial — and, in her words, “for destroying the human race.” She was banned from a New Jersey arena when she refused to sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” for its lyrics glorifying bombs bursting in air.

Rock critic Bill Wyman says O’Connor belonged to a proud Irish tradition of speaking up against the established order. “You know she’s always on the side of the victims, and the vulnerable, and the weak,” he observes.

In 1992, at the height of her fame, Sinéad O’Connor appeared on Saturday Night Live. In her performance, she raised her voice against racism and child abuse. There was dead silence when she ended the song, a version of Bob Marley’s “War,” by ripping up a picture of then-Pope John Paul II.

What followed in the media was a collective howl of outrage. It drowned out a prescient protest against abuse in the Catholic church. Years later, in 2010, O’Connor told NPR she’d known exactly what to expect.

“It was grand, to be honest,” she said. “I mean, I knew how people would react. I knew there would be trouble. I was quite prepared to accept that. To me, it was more important that I recognized what I will call the Holy Spirit.”

Rock music’s Joan of Arc, as she began to be called, became increasingly erratic in her convictions. O’Connor was a feminist; then she wasn’t. She supported the Irish Republican Army, until she didn’t. She got ordained as a Catholic priest by a rogue sect. She converted to Islam. She went from celibacy to oversharing about her tastes in sex. She changed her name several times, calling herself Shuhada’ Sadaqat after her conversion, though she continued to release music under her birth name. And her music veered unpredictably, from New Age to opera to reggae.

Even though O’Connor never produced another notable hit, tabloids kept covering her: Her four marriages, four divorces and four children; her feuds with celebrities, ranging over the years from Frank Sinatra to Miley Cyrus.

“I think people lost respect for her credibility,” says Bill Wyman. “And her later records just aren’t as much fun. They’re poorly produced, and they’re odd. They’re just not as enjoyable.”

In later years, O’Connor took to Facebook and Twitter to write about her struggle with mental illness. She brought up suicide — and she attempted it more than once.

If you came of age in the 1980s, one song you heard over and over from Sinéad O’Connor’s first album was “Never Gets Old.” If only — somehow — she could have gotten old as powerfully as her strongest songs.

After her death, the prime minister of Ireland, Leo Varadkar, issued a statement on social media, saying: “Really sorry to hear of the passing of Sinéad O’Connor. Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare. Condolences to her family, her friends and all who loved her music. Ar dheis Dé go Raibh a hAnam [may her soul rest at the right hand of God].”

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mryamaha
mryamaha
August 2, 2023 1:44 pm

what a few people know in the 90s sinnead made a collaberation with a rebelling band called MARXMAN. The Song is called Ship ahoi….I love this song….R.I.P.

Hamza 21
Hamza 21
July 31, 2023 1:29 pm

As noted in the media: “Since her death was announced, Muslim fans of the superstar have said her conversion to Islam, a cornerstone of her identity, was inspiring, but that some media reports had failed to note her religious beliefs in obituaries.” In essence these obituaries and tributes to her are woefully disrespectful. She choose to change her religion. She choose to identify as a Muslim. yet her “fans” choose to ignore this fact because for many reasons these facts about do not square with their impression. How one call themselves a fan and overlook, ignore, and erase how she… Read more »

Mike
Mike
July 29, 2023 6:40 am

Rest in peace. I think my favorite song by her would either be her cover of Elton John’s “Sacrifice” from the “Two Rooms” tribute compilation, or “The Last Day of Our Acquaintance.” It would be impossible for me to just pick one.

Last edited 1 year ago by Mike
Denis G
Denis G
July 28, 2023 7:36 am

Merci d’avoir pris le temps dans vos vacances pour envoye ces paroles pour notre super chanteuse que j’ai toujours adore Paix a son âme bonne journée a toutes et a tous

David
David
July 28, 2023 6:36 am

Beautiful words, Paul. She was a prominent part of my musical growth and never failed to impress. Thinking back, I knew she was very young when I first heard ‘Heroine’ from the ‘Captive’ soundtrack but it was a shock to learn she passed at 56 – five years my junior.

Joey
Joey
July 28, 2023 2:52 am

It’s really nice to see the tributes to Sinéad, she was really ahead of her time. I had a lot of respect for her, and she had the voice of an angel. It is truly sad to see her die at such an early age. I know this world tormented her, it is a shame that she could not feel the love that so many people had for her.

DJ XREY
DJ XREY
July 27, 2023 9:11 pm

Sinéad’s fairly rare version of “Silent Night” is stunning. It’s starkly produced and so quiet you can hear a pin drop. R.I. P. Sinéad.

Martika
Martika
July 27, 2023 5:25 pm

Been a fan since I first heard Mandinka! Then I heard the full album (Lion And The Cobra) and became an even bigger fan! Her vocal performance on TROY is easily the greatest vocal performance in Pop music history (besides maybe Sam Brown on STOP). And then she somehow managed to make an even greater album! She might be the only artist where the cover was better than the original by Prince! And you just know Prince was aware of that fact, as evidenced by the fact that he invited her to his house to beat her up!!! You can… Read more »

Modernaire
Modernaire
July 27, 2023 11:50 am

Who wrote this obituary?

Last edited 1 year ago by Modernaire
Robert
July 27, 2023 9:07 am

What a terrible loss. Little, stupid sidenote today: you mention the album artwork THE LION AND THE CORBRA, the North American cover art differs from the photo chosen for the rest of the world, even back her US record label tried to calm or tame her. I read some years ago, there will be a time coming when a lot of people will have to apologize to her, hence her pope protest etc. Rest in peace, you beautiful soul.

Kriel
Kriel
July 27, 2023 8:34 am

I saw this posted on FB

“She was a Cassandra speaking to warn parents of children raped with no accountability forthcoming. She spoke truth, it drove her mad.”

I saw her on her first US tour. Way up there on my list of favorites.

RIP

Raymond
Raymond
July 27, 2023 8:21 am

Also! I would also love a repost of “I Want Your (Hands On Me)” remix as well if its not too much trouble!!

Raymond
Raymond
July 27, 2023 8:12 am

Very sad. It was odd to see that her heartbreaking videos from a few years ago were being filmed from a room in Hackensack, NJ, right near where I grew up. I was VERY surprised to see her there, of all places!!
Also, I just have to say, her cover of “Property of Jesus” on 2012’s Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs Of Bob Dylan was the best cut on the release, so powerful. Considering the list of stars on that release, it says a lot about her talent. If you haven’t heard it, look it up.

Rankin Rez
July 27, 2023 5:08 am

Great obituary. Very sad news, Sinead had a troubled life but she was always loved by everyone in Ireland despite her occasional moments.

I’ve been trying to find a version of the “I Want Your (Hands On Me)” remix with MC Lyte and found your site. Sadly the file is not there any longer. Any chance you could re-upload it?

pork
pork
July 27, 2023 4:40 am

: thank you for writing that very thoughtful and informed synopsis of this massive force. this is a really tough pill. nothing quite hits like that voice and that spirit. hoping you’ll give us a solid dose when you return.

Marcelo
Marcelo
July 26, 2023 11:54 pm

Hey Paul, thanks for the words and your kindness to share your music. Sad to hear the news, Sinéad will be missed, such an amazing voice. Peace.

RussK1978
RussK1978
July 26, 2023 10:21 pm

Paul…

Firstly, thanks for all you do. Next, while she wasn’t my favorite, this is sad. She was 11 years older than me and I remember her music and listen to her more popular songs regularly. I struggle with depression as well and can somewhat understand her struggle. Thank you Sinead for the music and may you find the peace you were seeking wherever you are now. You will be missed. I definitely appreciate all that you brought to this world. R.I.P.

David S.
David S.
July 26, 2023 8:12 pm

Thank you, Paul. Your obituary was the most balanced and positive of the many I’ve read about Sinéad today. I hope she finds rest in Paradise.

ING
ING
July 26, 2023 7:54 pm

My first memory of her was Mandinka. A fierce song…then her debut album, which was like nothing ever. I was never a fan of her cover of The Family’s Prince-penned Nothing Compares 2 U as I’d been listening to the original for half a decade so her version couldn’t compare, but I respected her bravery in the face of abuse and the backlash against her was so undeserved & still mind boggling. Side note: the import version of her first album has her screaming instead of the passive pose we saw in the states. So much more appropriate of the… Read more »

Jeff
Jeff
July 26, 2023 6:55 pm

I feel quite sad about the loss of Sinéad O’Connor. I fell in love with her music from the start, even before “Nothing Compares To You.” I especially loved her Cole Porter cover from the “Red Hot + Blue” album. Such a wonderful artist, I will miss her terribly. May she rest in peace.

Jeff

ING
ING
Reply to  Jeff
July 27, 2023 12:16 am

And the video for Red Hot + Blue was so cool

marcio
marcio
July 26, 2023 6:20 pm

Memory of GOD.

FluffyPaws
FluffyPaws
July 26, 2023 5:33 pm

Such a trailblazer!
I hope she is now at peace and that people finally show her some respect and compassion.

Last edited 1 year ago by FluffyPaws