Sinéad O’Connor Dies at 56
Acclaimed Irish singer best known for her moving cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U" and who was chastised for telling the truth about the Catholic Church.
Sinéad O’Connor, the acclaimed Irish singer best known for her moving cover of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” has died. She was 56.
O’Connor’s death was confirmed in a statement from her family to The Irish Times. The statement reads, “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.”
O’Connor’s career spans ten studio albums, with her final release being 2014’s I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss. She achieved worldwide stardom with her 1990 album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got. It topped the album charts in 17 countries and sold seven million copies.
The album, of course, featured the cover of the Prince song “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which was a staple on MTV thanks to its evocative video. Like the album, the single was also a number-one hit and topped the singles charts in 22 countries.
Just two years later, O’Connor would infamously appear on Saturday Night Live as a musical guest. Following an a cappella performance of Bob Marley’s “War,” she held up a photo of Pope John Paul II, ripped it up and exclaimed, “Fight the real enemy.” O’Connor’s action was in protest to known sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. (Pope John Paul II finally acknowledged and apologized for the years of abuse committed and covered up by the Catholic Church in 2001.)
O’Connor struggled with a number of mental health disorders and publicly announced her diagnoses of bipolar disorder, complex post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder. These announcements happened in the late ’90s and early 2000’s long before openly talking about mental health was accepted.
Celebrity Deaths 2023: Musicians, Entertainers & Cultural Figures We Lost
We’ve had to say goodbye to some big names this year in the worlds of entertainment, sports, politics and beyond. To be frank, it was an absolutely brutal year.
So many giants in music died in 2023. Guitar god Jeff Beck died suddenly in January at age 78 after contracting bacterial meningitis. In February, legendary songwriter Burt Bacharach died at age 94. Singer, actor and civil rights icon Harry Belafonte died in April at age 96 from congestive heart failure. In May, the world lost Tina Turner – the Queen of Rock ‘n Roll – at age 83. Iconic pop singer Tony Bennett died in July at age 96.
The worlds of television and film were not immune to significant loss in 2023. Sitcom mastermind Norman Lear died in December at age 101. Three’s Company star Suzanne Somers died in October at age 76 from an aggressive form of breast cancer. Matthew Perry also died in October. The Friends star was only 54. Bob Barker, longtime host of The Price is Right, died in August at age 99. Paul Reubens, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman, died in July at age 70 following a private battle with cancer.
The sports world was rocked by the deaths of three major wrestling figures. In June, The Iron Sheik (Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri) died at age 81. Then, in August, there were two back-to-back deaths. First, WWE Hall of Famer Terry Funk died at age 79. Funk’s hardcore style has been influential to generations of wrestlers that followed. Then, Bray Wyatt (Windham Rotunda) suddenly died at age 36. The young wrestler died after contracting COVID, which exacerbated a heart issue and led to a heart attack.
Scroll through the gallery below to see the musicians, celebrities and other cultural figures we’ve lost in 2023.
Erica Banas is a news blogger who's been covering the rock/classic rock world since 2014. The coolest event she's ever covered in person was the 2021 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. (Sir Paul McCartney inducting Foo Fighters? C'mon now!) She's also well-versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice. #TransRightsAreHumanRights
