Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor dies aged 56

Sinéad O'Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter who became a superstar in her mid-20s, has died. 

She was 56.  

When she first emerged in the public's eye, O'Connor was immediately recognisable for her shaved head and elfin-like features; while her angelic voice could also be fierce, fiery, and extremely expressive. 

“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,” the singer's family said in a statement reported Wednesday by the BBC and RTE. No cause of death has been disclosed.

O’Connor began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame. 

Her 1987 debut album “The Lion and the Cobra” was a bestseller, and she became a worldwide 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. 

The song's notoriety was heightened by a promotional video featuring the grey-eyed O’Connor in an intense close-up.

O'Connor was a lifelong non-conformist — she would say that she shaved her head in response to record executives pressuring her to be conventionally glamorous. 

However, her political and cultural stances and the public's continued interest in her private life often overshadowed her music.

In 1999, O’Connor caused an uproar in Ireland when she became a priestess of the breakaway Latin Tridentine Church, a position that was not recognised by the mainstream Catholic Church.

She was also a vociferous advocate for victims of child abuse and often spoke out against racism and xenophobia.

After first changing her name to Magda Davitt in 2017 in an anti-patriarchal gesture, she