The Dublin performer found worldwide fame with hit single Nothing Compares 2 U in 1990
Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor has died at the age of 56.
The acclaimed Dublin performer released 10 studio albums, while her song Nothing Compares 2 U was named the number one world single in 1990 by the Billboard Music Awards.
Ms O’Connor was presented with the inaugural award for Classic Irish Album at the RTÉ Choice Music Awards earlier this year.
The singer received a standing ovation as she dedicated the award, for I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, to “each and every member of Ireland’s refugee community”.
“You’re very welcome in Ireland. I love you very much and I wish you happiness,” she said.
Ms O’Connor is survived by her three children. Her son, Shane, died last year aged 17.
Her first album The Lion and the Cobra came out in 1987, entering the top 40 in the UK and US.
Her follow up I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, which included Nothing Compares 2 U, was a number one hit.
The Dublin singer’s 17-year-old son Shane died last year, days after he was reported missing.
Writing on social media following his death, she said he had “decided to end his earthly struggle” and requested “no-one follows his example”.
Converting to Islam in 2018, changing her name to Shuhada’, but continued to perform under her birth name.
In 1992, one of the most notable events of her career took place when she ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II on the US TV show Saturday Night Live, where she was the invited performer.
Following an acapella performance of Bob Marley’s War, she looked at the camera and said “fight the real enemy”, a protest against the Catholic Church.
The incident resulted in her being banned for life by broadcaster NBC and protests against her in the US.
“I’m not sorry I did it. It was brilliant,” she said in an interview with the New York Times in 2021.
