SINEAD O’CONNOR’S cause of death has been revealed a year after her tragic passing at age 56.
The legendary Irish singer and activist, known best for her iconic ballad Nothing Compares 2 U, struggled with her health for years.
The Irish Independent revealed today that Sinead tragically passed away from “exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma together with low-grade lower respiratory tract infection.”
They obtained a copy of her death certificate, which showed the exact cause of death as a combination of different health problems.
Her death came just 18 months after the heartbreaking loss of her 17-year-old son Shane O’Connor in January 2022.
In a statement released after she died, Sinead’s family 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.”
She had found worldwide fame with her epic ballad Nothing Compares 2 U in 1990.
The singer was married four times and has three other children, Jake Reynolds, Roisin Waters and Yeshua Francis Neil Bonadio.
Sinead struggled with her health and debilitating pain for years, revealing that she was battling fibromyalgia after calling time on her music career in the early 2000s.
The condition causes musculoskeletal pain all over the body – with O’Connor saying it was manageable but not curable.
In 2005 she told Hot Press: “I have a high pain threshold, so that helps – it’s the tiredness part that I have difficulty with.
“You get to know your patterns and limits, though, so you can work and plan around it.
“It is made worse, obviously, by stress. So you have to try to keep life quiet and peaceful.
“And you have to re-assess what you do – and maybe find another less stressful job, or re-habilitate your f***in’ same job!
“Which is kind of what I am trying to do, given that I love singing and that it’s calming.
“So I want to do that, but to stay out of the parts of it that cause me undue stress.”
Sinead was born in Glenageary, County Dublin on December 8, 1966, and was one of five children raised Roman Catholic.
Her troubled teenage years, involving shoplifting and truancy, saw her placed in the Magdalene asylums for 18 months.
There she began to discover her love of singing and in 1984 she met Colm Farrelly, with whom she formed a band called Ton Ton Macoute.
But when her mum died in a car crash the following year, Sinead left the group and moved to London.
There she worked with U2 record boss Fachtna O’Ceallaigh, who eventually organised for her to produce her own debut album, while pregnant with her son Jack.
Her first LP was a big success but her breakthrough hit came in 1990 with power ballad Nothing Compares 2 U which topped the charts in 13 countries.
The music video – which was a close-up of Sinead’s face as she sings in a black polo neck – is now thought of as one of the 20th century’s most iconic videos.
