Sinead O'Connor: Irish Singer of Nothing Compares 2 U Dies at 56

Sinead O'Connor was an Irish singer-songwriter whose powerful voice and outspoken honesty made her one of the most distinctive artists of her generation. Born Sinead Marie Bernadette O'Connor on December 8, 1966, in Dublin, she became an international star with her interpretation of "Nothing Compares 2 U."

O'Connor's debut album The Lion and the Cobra (1987) earned international attention. Her 1990 album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got sold over seven million copies and featured "Nothing Compares 2 U," which was named top world single at the Billboard Music Awards. She won a Grammy in 1991 for Best Alternative Music Performance but refused to accept it, and her memoir Rememberings became a bestseller in 2021.

In 1992 she tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live to protest abuse in the Catholic Church. She had four children, and her son Shane died in 2022. She died on July 26, 2023, at age 56 in London, of natural causes. Remembered for her fearlessness and her extraordinary voice, she inspired countless artists.

Achievements: Released The Lion and the Cobra (1987), sold seven million copies of I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got (1990), won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance (1991), published the memoir Rememberings (2021).

Birth: December 8, 1966 - Dublin, Ireland.

Profession: Singer-songwriter.

Interesting Facts: In 1999 she was ordained by an independent Catholic bishop and took the name Mother Bernadette Mary. Her brother, Joseph O'Connor, is a novelist.