Sinéad O'Connor died of natural causes, coroner says
Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor's cause of death has been revealed.
O'Connor died of "natural causes" in July at 56, a London coroner's office confirmed Tuesday to USA TODAY, adding that it "therefore ceased their involvement in her death."
Her family shared a statement about her death at the time to BBC.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad," O'Connor's family said in the statement. "Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."
The music icon is best-known for her 1990 cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U," which catapulted her to short-lived stardom. Controversy arrived in 1992 after the "Rememberings" author openly criticized Pope John Paul II during a "Saturday Night Live appearance" while singing Bob Marley's "War," in protest of child sex abuse within the Catholic Church.
Throughout her career, O'Connor garnered eight Grammy nominations and a sole win. In 1987, she released a debut album "The Lion and the Cobra" before capturing worldwide fame and attention for her sophomore album, "I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got" which included lead single "Nothing Compares."
Her stirring performance of the power ballad spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was nominated for three Grammy Awards. The song itself was accompanied by the legendary music video of O'Connor singing in a black turtleneck directly into the camera.
More:Sinéad O'Connor, acclaimed and controversial Irish musician, dies at 56
After the "SNL" controversy, religious groups destroyed her albums and radio stations pulled her songs. Despite the backlash and blackballing, O'Connor expressed no regrets about the infamous moment, which she later called the "proudest" of her career.
"They all thought I should be made a mockery of for throwing my career down the drain," O'Connor said in a 2022 documentary "Nothing Compares" about her life. "I didn't say I wanted to be a pop star. It didn't suit me to be a pop star. So I didn't throw away any career that I wanted."
Her provocative peaks and pitfalls in the music industry were exacerbated by private struggles. The 2022 documentary compiled moments of her life and chronicled alleged abuse by O'Connor's late mother Marie, who later died in a car accident when the singer was just 19.
O'Connor was married four times and divorced her last husband, therapist Barry Herridge, after just two weeks in 2011. Throughout her life and career, O'Connor spoke openly with fans and the public about her mental health. The singer was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, complex post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder, and she spent six years in and out of mental health facilities.
O'Connor's death occurred over a year after her 17-year-old son Shane died by suicide in January 2022. In the weeks that followed his death, the mom of four wrote a series of concerning messages on X, formerly known as Twitter. She wrote, "I've decided to follow my son. There's no point living without him."
Contributing: Patrick Ryan
