Late singer Sinéad O’Connor captivated audiences with her voice — but not all the attention was positive.
The Irish singer made a name for herself after releasing her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” in 1990. O’Connor, however, was seemingly always trying to outrun her tumultuous upbringing.
“Best day of my life was the day I left Ireland,” O’Connor wrote in her 2021 memoir, Rememberings. “And any other day I left Ireland was the next best.”
In 1999, O’Connor attempted suicide on her 33rd birthday amid her custody battle with ex John Waters over their daughter, Roisin. “After a session in court that day where it was suggested that for the rest of my life I would only see my daughter once a month, I made a very serious suicide attempt, and I did almost die,” she recalled in 2005.
O’Connor reportedly took 20 Valium pills. After she survived the attempt, she turned her focus on her children and on religion. Much of her pain was captured in her songwriting, culminating in 10 full-length studio albums, one EP and one unreleased record, No Veteran Dies Alone, before her death in July 2023.
“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,” read a statement from her loves ones to RTE at the time.
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Scroll down to relive some of O’Connor’s ups and downs:
