Sinéad O’Connor, Irish Singer of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U,’ Dies at 56

Sinéad O’Connor, the Irish singer of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” has died, The Irish Times reports. She was 56.

Her cause of death has yet to be revealed.

Her family said in a statement: “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, who was outspoken about her decades-long struggle with mental illness, wrote on her Facebook page earlier this month that she had moved back to London after 23 years and was finishing an album to be released next year. She also shared plans to tour in Australia and New Zealand in 2024, and in Europe, the United States and other territories in 2025.

In August 2017, she posted an emotional video to her Facebook page, stating that she had three mental illnesses and felt alone after losing custody of her 13-year-old son Shane. She continued that she had wanted to kill herself for several years and that only her psychiatrists and doctor were keeping her alive. She pleaded for someone in her family to take care of her, and added that she was “one of millions” who are stigmatized for their mental illness.

O’Connor is survived by her three children. Her son, Shane, died by suicide last year at age 17.

O’Connor had switched to a new Twitter account at the beginning of July, using her full name. Her final Twitter post on the new account, on July 17, alluded to her son’s suicide, as she linked to a “Great Tibetan Compassion Mantra” and wrote, “For all mothers of Suicided children.”