Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor was found dead at her home in south London, police have confirmed.
News of the 56-year-old’s death was released by her family on Wednesday evening, sparking an outpouring of tributes from across the world.
In a statement issued on Thursday, police confirmed she was discovered unresponsive on Wednesday morning at her home in the Brockwell area of the capital, and added that her death is “not being treated as suspicious”.
A Scotland Yard spokesperson said: “Police were called at 11.18pm on Wednesday, July 26 to reports of an unresponsive woman at a residential address in the SE24 area.
“Officers attended. A 56-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
“Next of kin have been notified. The death is not being treated as suspicious. A file will be prepared for the Coroner.”
Two weeks ago, O’Connor had said on Facebook that she had moved to London and was “very happy to be home”.
She hinted that she would release music “next year” and would “hopefully” be touring Australia and New Zealand in 2024 and 2025.
In a statement on Wednesday, O’Connor’s family said: “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.”
A statement on London Inner South Coroner’s Court website, titled “Death of Sinead O’Connor”, said an autopsy will be conducted and results could take up to “several weeks”.
The statement said: “The death of Sinead O’Connor in Lambeth was notified to the Coroner on Wednesday 26th July 2023.
“No medical cause of death was given. The Coroner therefore directed an autopsy to be conducted. The results of this may not available for several weeks.
“The decision whether an inquest will be needed will be decided when these results are known and submissions have been heard from the family.
“If an inquest is to be opened, the date of the brief public hearing will be provided on our website.”
O’Connor was best known for her single Nothing Compares 2 U, released in 1990, which went on to hit number one around the world.
The singer, who was outspoken in her social and political views, brought out 10 studio albums in all that made her a global superstar.
Her death comes just a year after her son Shane passed away last year aged 17. His body was recovered in the Bray area of Wicklow, Ireland, after he was reported missing.
“We were one soul in two halves. He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally.”
She is survived by her three remaining children.
Tributes have poured in since news of her death broke.
Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was “really sorry” to hear the news. “Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare”, he tweeted on Wednesday evening.
“Condolences to her family, her friends and all who loved her music. Ar dheis De go Raibh a hAnam.”
Irish comedian Dara Ó Briain paid tribute, writing on Twitter: “Ah s****, Sinéad O’Connor has died. That’s just very sad news. Poor thing. I hope she realised how much love there was for her.”
Artist Jim Fitzpatrick wrote: “The amazing Sinéad O’Connor has passed away and I’m so sad for her and all her loved ones.
“I was so damn lucky to have spent time with her and to have worked with such an extraordinary talented woman.”
Ireland’s Tánaiste Micheál Martin paid tribute to one of the country’s “greatest musical icons and someone deeply loved by the people of Ireland, and beyond”.
O’Connor’s debut album, The Lion and the Cobra, was released in 1987 and entered the Top 40 in the UK and Ireland.
But it was her second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, which brought her global fame with the heartrending cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U.
The simple, yet unforgettable, accompanying video featured almost nothing else but a close-up shot of the shaven-headed singer performing the ballad with tears rolling down her cheeks.
It reached number one on the Billboard Music Awards and the album went on to sell more than seven million copies.
She went on to release another eight studio albums.
Earlier this year, O’Connor received the inaugural award for Classic Irish Album at the RTÉ Choice Music Awards.
O'Connor cancelled a string of concerts in 2021 after announcing she would undergo a one-year treatment programme for trauma and addiction.
Writing on Twitter, she said she had been through a “traumatic six years”, but now “recovery starts”.
Born Sinead Marie Bernadette O’Connor in Glenageary, Co Dublin, in December 1966, the singer had a difficult childhood.
At the age of 15, she was placed in a Magdalene asylum for shoplifting and truancy.
But it was also where she discovered her talent for music, after a nun bought her a guitar and set her up with a music teacher.
O’Connor converted to Islam in 2018 and changed her name to Shuhada Sadaqat, though she carried on performing under the name Sinéad O’Connor.
She was also known for her outspoken activism across a number of issues, and frequently spoke out about the child abuse scandal in the Catholic Church.
In 1992, O’Connor famously tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul II while appearing as a guest on Saturday Night Live. Her actions resulted in her being banned for life by broadcaster NBC and sparked protests in the US.
And in 1990, she said she would refuse to go on stage in New Jersey if the Star-Spangled Banner was performed.
In 2014, she revealed she had joined Irish political party Sinn Fein and called for leader Gerry Adams to stand down.
Married four times, O’Connor announced in an interview with a US magazine in 2000 that she was a lesbian and claimed to be bisexual in subsequent press interviews.
Colm O’Gorman, executive director of Amnesty International Ireland, said: “It is hard to think of an artist who has had the social and cultural impact of Sinead. What a loss. Heartfelt condolences to her children, her family and all who loved her.”
