The talented Irish artist was renowned for her shaved head and powerful, expressive voice.
Sinead O'Connor, the talented Irish singer-songwriter who rose to superstardom in her mid-20s, was widely recognized for her fierce and expressive music, as well as her private struggles and activism. Sadly, she passed away at the age of 56.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time," stated the singer's family. The cause of her death has not been disclosed.
With her iconic shaved head and a multi-octave mezzo-soprano voice that conveyed extraordinary emotional depth, O'Connor began her musical journey by performing on the streets of Dublin, and soon enough, she achieved international fame.
Her star ascended with her debut album, "The Lion and the Cobra," released in 1987. However, it was her soul-stirring rendition of Prince's ballad "Nothing Compares 2 U" in 1990 that catapulted her to sensational success. The song topped charts across Europe and Australia, and its poignant music video, featuring O'Connor in intense close-up, heightened its impact.
"Nothing Compares 2 U" garnered three Grammy nominations and was the centerpiece of her critically acclaimed album, "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got," which led to Rolling Stone naming her Artist of the Year in 1991.
Among her other musical accomplishments were albums like "Universal Mother" and "Faith and Courage," as well as her cover of Cole Porter's "You Do Something to Me" for the AIDS fundraising album "Red Hot + Blue" and her backing vocals on Peter Gabriel's "Blood of Eden." In total, she received eight Grammy nominations and won the award for Best Alternative Musical Performance in 1991.
She was a lifelong nonconformist – she revealed that she shaved her head as a response to record executives pressuring her to conform to conventional glamour standards.
Long before the widespread reporting of sexual abuse allegations, O'Connor was a vocal critic of the Roman Catholic Church. In October 1992, she made headlines when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II during her appearance on NBC's Saturday Night Live, openly denouncing the church as an adversary.
In 2003, O'Connor announced her retirement from music, but she continued to create new material. Her most recent album, "I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss," was released in 2014, and she lent her voice to the theme song for Season 7 of the TV series "Outlander."
In 2018, O'Connor underwent a significant personal transformation and converted to Islam, taking on the name Shuhada' Davitt, later changed to Shuhada Sadaqat. However, professionally, she continued to use her birth name, Sinead O'Connor.
On August 19, 1989, Sinead O'Connor performed at the gathering commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the March on the British Embassy. [Independent News and Media/Getty Images]
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