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Sinead O'Connor is dead at the age of 56.
Her family issued a statement that said, "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."
There has been no cause of death announced. On July 11th O'Connor wrote that she had just moved back to London and that she was finishing an album and hoped to release it early next year, with a tour to follow.
- Sinead O'Connor was born on December 8th, 1966 in Dublin, Ireland.
- She launched her career in 1987 with the critically acclaimed The Lion and the Cobra, which featured the alternative hit "Mandinka."
- In 1990 she became a worldwide star with her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, and its first single, a cover of the Prince song "Nothing Compares 2 U." The song hit-number-one in the U.S. and in many countries around the world.
- After that peak O'Connor's career ran into one controversy after another, which derailed her success. In August 1990 she refused to perform at the Garden State Arts Center in New Jersey until they agree not to play the national anthem before the show.stated.
- Then in October 1992 she ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II after singing an a capella cover of "War" by Bob Marley. Three weeks later she was booed off the stage at the all-star Bob Dylan tribute at New York's Madison Square Garden.
- O'Connor battled various mental and physical health issues over the years. In 2007 she admitted that she'd attempted suicide in 1999. In 2017 she posted a long video on Facebook saying that she had suicidal impulses over the previous two years. And then last year after her son Shane died, she tweeted about wanting to kill herself and was hospitalized by family members.
- She released 10 studio albums over her career, the last being 2014's I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss.
- O'Connor is survived by her her three children Jake, Brigidine and Yeshua Francis, and one grandchild. Her son Shane died last year at age 17.
Source: BBC and Premiere