Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor has died at the age of 56
Photograph:
Jean-Christophe Bott/ dpa
Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor has died at the age of 56. "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad," reads a statement quoted by RTE and BBC. "Her family and friends are devastated and asking for privacy at this difficult time."
The cause of death was not disclosed. Last year, her son Shane took his own life at the age of 17.
In 1990, O'Connor created a worldwide hit with her song »Nothing Compares 2 U«, which was written by Prince. The music video for the song, in which she looks into the camera in close-up, has been played almost 400 million times. In total, she released ten studio albums.
Unconventional to success
Her trademark became the shaved hair. She reportedly shaved her head because record companies were pushing her to be conventionally glamorous. In any case, conventional was not for O'Connor. She publicly quarreled with Frank Sinatra and accused Prince of physically threatening her.
O'Connor had been suffering from mental health problems for years. She made it public that she had been abused as a child and was committed to the victims of sexual abuse. With her criticism of the Catholic Church, she repeatedly caused controversy, for example, she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II during an appearance on the US show "Saturday Night Live" in 1992.
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