RIP: Sinead O'Conner, 56

[thewayne]

Wow. 56. No cause listed, but as the pretty extensive Rolling Stone obit notes, her 17 y/o son took his own life 18 months ago, definitely a significant event.

Sinead had been recording and making songs for a very long time, and fighting to be her own person from a young age. She didn't break out until she covered the Prince song, Nothing Compares (To You). She made international headlines by tearing a photo of the Pope in half on Saturday Night Live, which seriously hurt her career for quite a number of years. Very controversial woman.

Quite sad, I feel she had a lot of good music left to give us.

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/sinead-oconnor-dead-obituary-200764/

Comments

[dewline]

...my age.

[thewayne]

I've got 5 years on you, so a bit more stunning for me.

[disneydream06]

I am trying to remember now, did she have cancer?
For some reason that is in my head.
Hugs, Jon

[bibliofile]

Probably suicide, as she'd been struggling with it for decades.

[disneydream06]

Sad if so, but understandable. :(

[thewayne]

With it 18 months after her son's death by suicide, that's my thought.

[thewayne]

Rolling Stone did not report a cause of death, if she had cancer, I'm sure they would have mentioned it.

[disneydream06]

Sadly, she did have demons, as they say. :(

[thewayne]

News today said her death is not being reported as suspicious.

[disneydream06]

That is good news. :)

[kaishin108]

How very sad. I just saw a short clip about her life on the BBC News. She really struggled. And the clip said losing custody of her son and then his death tore her apart. :(

[thewayne]

I didn't know about a custody battle, that would be very rough.  Seems like she had a pretty hard life overall.  A tremendous amount of success, but very hard-fought getting there.

[kaishin108]

I am pretty sure that is what the news said...

Ahh it was her daughter, here is a clip
"In 1995, O'Connor welcomed her first and only daughter Roisin, whom she shares with journalist John Waters. Following her birth, O'Connor and Waters went through a lengthy custody battle; after O'Connor attempted suicide, she gave custody of Roisin to Waters."

So sad and yes, like you say a hard life.

[white_aster]

Very sad. She was ahead of her time, really. I remember her being cast as unreasonably upset about things that no one else was upset about, "making a fuss over nothing", but she was not wrong. Cultural sensitivity and sexual abuse and colonization...her concerns were just a few decades ahead of everyone else.

[thewayne]

nods in agreement  Yep, that's not a bad summation.

[silveradept]

That's rough. I knew her more for her outspoken-ness than for her music. Any obit that focuses on that, though, should be required to say that she was proven correct in her accusations and her outspoken-ness, because there's still a lot that has to be done to bring her back from the3 fringe she was shoved out to.

[thewayne]

Quite true.  She was well ahead of her time, pointing out the child abuse that was rampant throughout the Catholic Church.