Sinéad O'Connor dies aged 56. The Irish singer-songwriter's death was first reported by The Irish Times and confirmed by the BBC. Her family said in a statement to the BBC: "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Sinead. "Her family and friends are devastated and ask for privacy at this very difficult time. ." The date or cause of death has not been released.
O'Connor began her career by singing on the streets of Dublin and released her debut album The Lion and the Cobra in 1987. But her real breakthrough moment came in the early '90s, with her iconic cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares" 2 U, which became a No. 1 hit worldwide and earned three Grammy nominations.
The artist is also known for his political activism, especially after tearing up a photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live in 1992 in protest against the Catholic Church. She has released 10 studio albums during her career, the most recent being 2014's I'm Not the Boss, I'm the Boss , and has become a staunch advocate for mental health awareness while remaining a staunch critic of the Catholic Church .
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar paid tribute to O'Connor in a statement posted on Twitter, saying she was "loved around the world and her talent was unparalleled."
Soon, other celebrities followed suit on social media, from the singer's musical peers and followers to actors like Toni Collette and White Lotus star Michael Imperioli. Later that night, P!nk expressed his emotional connection to the late singer when he performed "Nothing Compares 2 U" with Brandi Carlile at a show in Cincinnati. "When I was a little girl growing up in Atlantic City with my mom, I used to go to the Ocean City Boardwalk with my ten dollars and make a demo tape," she said, according to Billboard . "I used to go to the Ocean City Boardwalk with my ten dollars. I would make a little cassette tape and imagine it was a demo I would give to a record company, and it would always be Whitney Houston’s Greatest Love of All or Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U.”
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O'Connor's death comes more than a year after the death of her 17-year-old son, Shane Lunny. She is survived by her eldest son Jack Reynolds, daughter Roisin Waters and youngest child Yeshua Bonadio.
