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Sinead O’Connor was found unresponsive at her home in London and pronounced dead at the scene.

Her next of kin have been notified, and her death is not being treated as suspicious.

A file is now going to be prepared for the coroner.

Read more: An unapologetic singer’s rise to stardom

Sinead O'Connor on stage at Dublin Castle
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Sinead O’Connor on stage at Dublin Castle

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “Police were called at 11.18am on Wednesday 26 July 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.”

O’Connor was best known for her 1990 song Nothing Compares 2 U – the track made her a global star, partly due to its iconic video.

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Yesterday, her family said they were “devastated” by the death of “our beloved Sinead”.

Two weeks ago, O’Connor had told her fans that she had recently moved back to London after a 23-year absence – and she was “very happy to be home”.

She said she was finishing an album that was going to be released early next year – and planned to launch a world tour spanning Australia, New Zealand, Europe and the US.

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Sinead O’Connor’s final video

Morrissey pays tribute – and attacks music industry

On his website, former Smiths frontman Morrissey paid tribute to O’Connor – and alleged that she had been mistreated by the music industry.

“There is a certain music industry hatred for singers who don’t ‘fit in’,” he claimed.

Morrissey praised her “proud vulnerability” – describing O’Connor as someone who refused to be labelled and “had the courage to speak when everyone else stayed safely silent”.

O’Connor had a troubled childhood and spoke openly about her mental health issues.

When her teenage son Shane took his own life in 2022, she tweeted to say there was “no point living without him”, and spent time in hospital.

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‘She was an extremely courageous artist’

The mother-of-four was also a critic of the Catholic Church well before allegations of sexual abuse were widely reported – and made headlines by ripping up a photograph of Pope John Paul II while appearing as a guest on Saturday Night Live.

Irish President Michael D Higgins said: “One couldn’t but always be struck by the depth of her fearless commitment to the important issues which she brought to public attention, no matter how uncomfortable those truths may have been.”

She converted to Islam in 2018 and adopted the name Shuhada Sadaqat, but continued to use Sinead O’Connor professionally.

Yusuf Islam, the musician formerly known as Cat Stevens, said: “Sad to hear of the passing of sister Shuhada Sadaqat, also known as Sinead O’Connor. She was a tender soul, may God, Most Merciful, grant her everlasting peace.”

Sinead O'Connor
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She converted to Islam in 2018 – changing her name to Shuhada Sadaqat

Fellow musician Tori Amos described O’Connor as a “force of nature” – and a songwriter whose talent we will not see the likes of again.

“Such passion, such intense presence and a beautiful soul, who battled her own personal demons courageously. Be at peace dear Sinead, you will forever be in our hearts,” she wrote.

In her 2021 memoir Rememberings, O’Connor had written: “Everyone wants a pop star, see? But I am a protest singer. I just had stuff to get off my chest. I had no desire for fame.”

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League table of foreign criminals awaiting deportation and their offences set to be published

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League table of foreign criminals awaiting deportation and their offences set to be published

A league table of foreign criminals and their offences is set to be published for the first time.

The plans, due to be announced on Tuesday, will reportedly focus on those offenders awaiting deportation from the UK.

The latest data shows there were 19,244 foreign offenders awaiting deportation at the end of 2024, a rise from 17,907 when the Conservatives left office in July and 14,640 at the end of 2022.

Despite more offenders being deported since Labour came to power, the number waiting to be removed from the UK has been growing.

Factors are understood to include the early release of inmates due to prison overcrowding, instability and diplomatic problems in some countries and a backlog of legal cases appealing deportation.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said the decision to publish the nationalities of foreign criminals showed Labour had “buckled” under pressure from the Conservatives to disclose the data.

The latest government statistics show there were 10,355 foreign nationals held in custody in England and Wales at the end of 2024, representing 12% of the prison population.

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The most common nationalities after British nationals were Albanian (11%), Polish (8%), Romanian (7%), which also represented the top three nationalities who were deported from the UK in 2024, according to Home Office figures.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is understood to have ordered officials to release the details by the end of the year, according to The Daily Telegraph.

The newspaper reported Ms Cooper overruled Home Office officials, who previously claimed it was too difficult to provide quality data on foreign criminals.

A Home Office source said: “Not only are we deporting foreign criminals at a rate never seen when Chris Philp and Robert Jenrick were in charge at the Home Office, but we will also be publishing far more information about that cohort of offenders than the Tories ever did.”

The source added that ministers wanted “to ensure the public is kept better informed about the number of foreign criminals awaiting deportation, where they are from and the crimes they have committed”.

In March, the government announced £5m in funding to deploy staff to 80 jails in England and Wales to speed up the deportation of foreign offenders.

Read more from Sky News:
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Foreign nationals sentenced to 12 months or more in prison are subject to automatic deportation, but the home secretary can also remove criminals if their presence in the UK is not considered desirable.

Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick welcomed the news, saying: “We will finally see the hard reality that mass migration is fuelling crime across our country… Frankly, the public deserved to know this [detail on foreign criminals] long ago.”

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Rachel Reeves to head to Washington amid hopes of US trade deal

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Rachel Reeves to head to Washington amid hopes of US trade deal

Rachel Reeves will pledge to “stand up for Britain’s national interest” as she heads to Washington DC amid hopes of a UK/US trade deal.

The chancellor will fly to the US capital for her spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the first of which began on Sunday.

During her three-day visit, Ms Reeves is set to hold meetings with G7, G20 and IMF counterparts about the changing global economy and is expected to make the case for open trade.

Politics latest: Tributes paid to Pope Francis

Her visit comes after Donald Trump imposed blanket 10% tariffs on all imports into the US, including from the UK, and as talks about reaching a trade deal intensified.

The chancellor will also hold her first in-person meeting with her US counterpart, treasury secretary Scott Bessent, about striking a new trade agreement, which the UK hopes will take the sting out of Mr Trump’s tariffs.

In addition to the 10% levy on all goods imported to America from the UK, Mr Trump enacted a 25% levy on car imports.

Ms Reeves will also be hoping to encourage fellow European finance ministers to increase their defence spending and discuss the best ways to support Ukraine in its war against Russia.

Read more:
Mission: Impossible? Chancellor heads to the IMF

Starmer and the King pay tribute to Pope Francis

Speaking ahead of her visit, Ms Reeves said: “The world has changed, and we are in a new era of global trade. I am in no doubt that the imposition of tariffs will have a profound impact on the global economy and the economy at home.

“This changing world is unsettling for families who are worried about the cost of living and businesses concerned about what tariffs will mean for them. But our task as a government is not to be knocked off course or to take rash action which risks undermining people’s security.

“Instead, we must rise to meet the moment and I will always act to defend British interests as part of our plan for change.

“We need a world economy that provides stability and fairness for businesses wanting to invest and trade, more trade and global partnerships between nations with shared interests, and security for working people who want to get on with their lives.”

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Murder arrest after woman stabbed to death in Enfield – as victim named

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Murder arrest after woman stabbed to death in Enfield - as victim named

A woman who was stabbed to death in north London has been named by police – as a man was arrested on suspicion of murder.

Pamela Munro, 45, was found with a stab wound and died at the scene in Ayley Croft, Enfield, on Saturday evening, the Metropolitan Police said.

A 29-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder on Monday and is in custody, the force added.

Detective Chief Inspector Neil John said: “Investigating officers have worked relentlessly across the weekend to investigate the circumstances around Pamela’s death.

“We continue to support her family who are understandably devastated.”

GVs from SN footage on 20/04/2025 at scene of murder on 19/04/2025 of woman at Gainsborough House, Ayley Croft, Enfield in north London.
Ingest 25 NM25 SKY SAF ENFIELD MURDER GVS ENFIELD 2045
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Police at the scene at Ayley Croft in Enfield

Read more from Sky News:
Fresh appeal over student’s murder
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The Met Police has asked anyone with information or who was driving through Ayley Court between 6.30pm and 7.30pm on Saturday and may have dashcam footage to contact the force.

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