Irish singer Sinead O’Connor dies aged 56
Irish singer Sinead O’Connor has died aged 56, her family has confirmed.
She was best known for her 1990 song Nothing Compares 2 U – the track made her a global star, partly due to its iconic video.
A family statement 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.”
No cause of death was given.
Live – Tributes to an ‘unmatched talent’
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar tweeted: “Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare.”
Singer Alison Moyet tweeted she had a “voice that cracked stone”, while ex-Stone Roses star Ian Brown said working with her was “a highlight of my musical life”.
Bryan Adams posted a picture of O’Connor and said he “loved” working with her.
Irish UFC star Conor McGregor also shared images and said Ireland had “lost an iconic voice and one of our absolute finest”.
The singer was known for her outspoken views on subjects such as religion, war and feminism.
She infamously tore up a photo of the Pope on Saturday Night Live in 1992 to protest against abuse in the Catholic Church.
O’Connor converted to Islam in 2018 and changed her name to Shuhada Sadaqat, but still performed under her old name.
The singer cancelled gigs in 2021 after announcing she was entering a one-year programme for trauma and addiction.
The following year her 17-year-old son Shane died by suicide.
O’Connor referenced his death in an emotional tweet last week in which she said she was “lost” without him.
She posted a row of crying emojis alongside a photo of the pair and said she had been “living as undead night creature since [his death]”
“He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul. We were one soul in two halves,” she wrote.
O’Connor on stage in Vancouver in 2020
The singer recorded 10 studio albums and was nominated for eight Grammys, but never topped the huge success of Nothing Compares 2 U – originally written by Prince.
The intense close-up of the singer – and her tear during the video – is instantly recognisable to a generation of fans.
She once said she had shaved her head in response to music bosses pressuring her to be conventionally glamorous.
Sinead O’Connor was ridiculed – but time proved her right
Sinead O’Connor was speaking truth to power long before speaking truth to power was a thing.
In 1990, when she shot to global stardom with her mesmerising version of Nothing Compares 2 U, the Catholic Church still held sway in Ireland.
“Catholic Ireland” was a place where contraception, divorce, homosexual activity and abortion had all been illegal.
For a woman to shave her head and raise it above the parapet to challenge the powerful institutions of church and state was unthinkable.
Who could forget her tearing a picture of Pope John Paul II in half during an appearance on Saturday Night Live in America?
She was ridiculed in the wake of it and faced calls for her music to be banned but her decision to stage a protest against clerical abuse proved prophetic.
Struggling with her own mental health, it was easy for the powerful to write her off as a loose cannon, but time proved her right and justified her brave stance.
In a statement expressing his condolences, Ireland’s president Michael D Higgins spoke of the “authenticity” of her music and that brutal honesty sums up her life.
She spent most of it openly searching for peace and her legion of fans across the world will hope she has now found it.
O’Connor began playing on the streets of Dublin using a guitar given to her by a nun and released debut album The Lion and the Cobra in 1987.
Her last record, I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss, came out in 2014.
“Everyone wants a pop star, see?” she wrote in her memoir two years ago. “But I am a protest singer. I just had stuff to get off my chest. I had no desire for fame.”
She was married four times – the final one ending after 16 days in 2011 – and had four children.
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Police are taking no further action over Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury.
Officers said they had investigated “comments about a forthcoming court case made during Kneecap’s performance” at the festival on 28 June.
However, after Crown Prosecution Service advice, they decided there is not enough evidence “to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence”.
The Avon & Somerset force started investigating the Irish group’s show last month, as well as comments by punk-rap duo Bob Vylan.
It said they were looking at a possible public order incident.
Police said on Friday that the investigation into Bob Vylan’s performance was ongoing.
The London duo were widely criticised – and caused a BBC crisis – after leading on-stage chants of “death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces).
Kneecap’s Liam Og O Hannaidh appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in June. Pic: PA
Kneecap posted a photograph on Instagram, which the group said was an email from police announcing the case was being dropped.
They said their packed Glastonbury gig was a “celebration of love and solidarity” and reporting used “wildly misleading headlines”.
Fears over what Kneecap might do or say during the performance had prompted the BBC not to show it live.
The group said: “Every single person who saw our set knew no law was broken, not even close… yet the police saw fit to publicly announce they were opening an investigation.”
“There is no public apology, they don’t send this to media or post it on police accounts,” they added.
The police statement on Friday said they had informed Kneecap of their decision to drop the case.
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One of the group’s members appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence.
Liam Og O hAnnaidh is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK, at a gig last year.
He was released on unconditional bail ahead of a second court appearance in August.
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Tomorrowland: ‘Devastating’ blaze destroys main stage at major festival – two days before it was due to begin
A huge fire has destroyed the main stage of a major festival in Belgium – two days before it was due to begin.
Tomorrowland is a dance music event as big as Glastonbury – and David Guetta was due to perform.
Footage showed flames and thick plumes of black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland on Wednesday.
The fire gutted the main stage
Fire crews attempt to bring the blaze under control
The annual festival in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts about 400,000 people over two consecutive weekends.
It is famous for its immersive and elaborate designs and attracts big names within dance music – including Guetta, best known for tracks When Love Takes Over and Titanium.
Dutch DJs Martin Garrix and Charlotte de Witte were also due to perform, along with the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz and Alok.
Black smoke could be seen rising into the sky
The festival’s website described the creative elements which went into the elaborate main stage.
The theme, described as Orbyz, was “set in a magical universe made entirely out of ice” and “full of mythical creatures”.
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Organisers said no one was injured in the blaze but confirmed “our beloved main stage has been severely damaged”, adding they were “devastated”.
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen added: “We received some truly terrible news today. A fire broke out on the Tomorrowland site … and our main stage was essentially destroyed there, which is truly awful.
“That’s a stage that took years to build, with so much love and passion. So I think a lot of people are devastated.”
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen told reporters ‘a lot of people are devastated’
Despite the fire, Tomorrowland organisers said they were still expecting 38,000 festivalgoers at DreamVille, the event’s campsite.
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