Sinead O’Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter who became a superstar in her mid-20s and was known as much for her private struggles and activism as for her fierce and expressive music, has died at 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,” the singer’s family said in a statement. No cause was disclosed.
Recognisable by her shaved head and with a multi-octave mezzo-soprano of extraordinary emotional range, O’Connor began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame.
She was a star from her 1987 debut album, The Lion and the Cobra, and became a sensation in 1990 with her cover of Prince’s ballad “Nothing Compares 2 U”, a seething, shattering performance that topped charts from Europe to Australia and was heightened by a promotional video featuring the grey-eyed O’Connor in intense close-up.
“Nothing Compares 2 U” received three Grammy nominations and was the featured track on her acclaimed album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, which helped lead Rolling Stone to name her Artist of the Year in 1991.
O’Connor’s other musical credits included the albums, Universal Mother and Faith and Courage, a cover of Cole Porter’s “You Do Something to Me”, from the AIDS fundraising album Red Hot + Blue, and backing vocals on Peter Gabriel’s “Blood of Eden”. She received eight Grammy nominations and in 1991 won for best alternative musical performance.
She was a lifelong nonconformist – she said she shaved her head in response to record executives pressuring her to be conventionally glamorous.
A critic of the Roman Catholic Church well before allegations of sexual abuse were widely reported, O’Connor made headlines in October 1992 when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II while appearing on NBC’s Saturday Night Live and denounced the church as the enemy.
O’Connor announced she was retiring from music in 2003, but continued to record new material. Her most recent album was I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss, released in 2014, and she sang the theme song for Season 7 of Outlander.
In 2018 O’Connor converted to Islam and adopted the name Shuhada’ Davitt, later Shuhada Sadaqat — although she continued to use Sinead O’Connor professionally.
(ALJAZEERA)
Follow us on:
Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour has condemned the commercialisation of GMO seeds, warning of threats to Nigeria’s food…
Oleksandr Usyk has secured victory over Tyson Fury in Riyadh, successfully defending his heavyweight championship…
Albania plans a one-year TikTok ban from January after a schoolboy’s death sparks concerns over…
A suspect accused of killing five people by driving into a crowded Christmas market in…
A US Navy F/A-18 Hornet was mistakenly shot down over the Red Sea by the…
NNPC has reduced petrol ex-depot price to N899 per litre, sparking competition with Dangote Refinery…
View Comments
👇👇👇*SOME AVAILABLE TOKUNBO VEHICLES*
Golf 2,3,4 ₦350,000 - ₦500,000
Toyota Camry 2.2 Tiny-Light ₦N500,000
Toyota Camry Big-Daddy ₦550,000
Toyota Camry Muscle ₦750,000
Toyota Camry Spider ₦650,000
Toyota Avelon ₦550,000
Toyota Avensis ₦500,000
Toyota Corolla ₦500,000
Toyota Yaris ₦550,000
Toyota Matrix ₦600,000
Toyota Picnic ₦550,000
Toyota Sienna ₦850,000
Toyota Venza ₦1.2million
Toyota Rav4 ₦800,000
Toyota 4Runner ₦1.2million
Toyota Hiace-Bus
Toyota Highlander ₦1million
Toyota Land Cruiser ₦1.3million
Toyota Tundra ₦1.4million
Toyota Prado ₦1.6million
Mercedes-Benz C-Class ₦650,000
Mercedes-Benz E-Class ₦700,000
Mercedes-Benz G-Class ₦800,000
Mercedes-Benz GLK ₦1million
Mercedes Benz ML350 ₦1.3million
Nissan Altima ₦550,000
Nissan Armada ₦750,000
Nissan Maxima N650,000
Nissan Murano 1.3 million
Nissan Primera ₦500,000
Nissan Pathfinder ₦900,000
Honda Accord ₦600,000
Honda City ₦500,000
Honda Civic ₦550,000
Honda C-RV ₦650,000
Honda Crosstour ₦750,000
Honda Element ₦650,000
Honda Evilspirit ₦650,000
Honda Odyssey ₦670,000
Honda Pilot ₦900,000
Lexus Rx330 ₦850,000
Lexus Rx350 ₦1million
Lexus Rx400 ₦1.2million
Lexus Gx470 ₦1.8million
O7O 4540 6674 }
Acura TL ₦650,000
Acura MDX ₦950,000
Acura ZDX ₦850,000
Land Rover Discovery ₦1.8Million
Land Rover Freelander ₦1.6Million
Land Rover Vogue ₦2.3Million
Range Rover Sport. ₦2.2Million
TIPPER AND TRUCKS also available for sales