Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor hailed as ‘force of nature’

LONDON (AP):

Singer Tori Amos was among the many musicians who paid tribute to Sinéad O’Connor on Wednesday following her passing, calling her “a force of nature”.

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

O’Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter who became a superstar in her mid-20s and was known as much for her private struggles and provocative actions as for her fierce and expressive music.

“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,” the singer’s family said in a statement reported Wednesday by the BBC and RTE. No cause was disclosed. O’Connor was 56.

She was public about her mental illness, saying that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. O’Connor posted a Facebook video in 2017 from a New Jersey motel where she had been living, saying that she was staying alive for the sake of others and that if it were up to her, she’d be “gone”.

When her teenage son Shane died by suicide last year, O’Connor tweeted that there was “no point living without him”, and she was soon hospitalised. Her final tweet, sent July 17, read: “For all mothers of Suicided children,” and linked to a Tibetan compassion mantra.

Recognisable by her shaved head and with a multioctave mezzo soprano of extraordinary emotional range, O’Connor began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame.