Sinéad Marie Bernadette O’Connor was born on December 8, 1966 in Glenageary, County Dublin, Ireland.
Sinead O’Connor has died at the age of 56.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends of hers are devastated and have asked for privacy at this very difficult time,” her family said in a statement to the BBC.
Sinead O’Connor studied voice and piano at Dublin’s College of Music before moving to London in the early 1980s, where she collaborated with U2 guitarist The Edge on the song “The Heroine” for the film’s soundtrack. Franco English “The Captive” of 1986. The success would come four years later in 1990.
“HEROINE”, THE EDGE AND SINEAD OCONNOR, 1986
Sinead O’Connor only had two hits on the Hot 100:
- NOTHING COMPARES 2 U, NUMBER 1 IN 1990, 4 WEEKS AT THE TOP
- THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES, NUMBER 60 IN 1990
SINEAD ACHIEVED 11 ALBUMS ON THE BEST SELLING LIST.
ONLY ONE WAS SUCCESSFUL: “I DO NOT WANT WHAT I HAVEN’T GOT”, NUMBER 1 IN 1990 FOR SIX WEEKS.
THE REST OF THE ALBUMS HAD A VERY DISCREET SUCCESS.
HARD LIFE
Sinead O’Connor was very open about her mental health issues, which included a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, later changed to post-traumatic stress disorder (depression and suicidality).
FIVE COMPLICATED MOMENTS
- She Was An Activist Who Defended In Interviews The Sometimes Bloody Tactics Of The Irish Republican Army
- She refused to perform on Saturday Night Live in May of 1990.
- She earned the ire of Frank Sinatra in 1990 when she in New Jersey didn’t want to sing because she realized the national anthem would be playing. This caused some stations to pull the music from her and resulted in Sinatra threatening to
“kick her in the ass.” (“kick her in the ass”) - The controversy continued two years later, when Sinead O’Connor agreed to sing on Saturday Night Live where she performed an a cappella version of Bob Marley’s song “War” and, to the surprise of the producers, she stared into the camera while end of the song and smashed a picture of Pope John Paul II. She said “fight the real enemy”.
It was her protest against the Catholic Church’s cover-up of child abuse. She would later say that she was abused when she was a child.
“WAR,” SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, 1992
5 In January 2022, Sinead suffered a great loss when her 17-year-old son, Shane, was found dead in Ireland after she reported him missing to the authorities.
She is survived by three children.
