Beloved singer Sinéad O’Connor died of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, worsened by a respiratory tract infection, sources revealed a year after her death.
O’Connor, 56, was found unresponsive at her London home on July 26, 2023, and declared dead of what the coroner’s office ruled in January were “natural causes,” but without providing details.
Her death certificate, registered last Wednesday by her former husband John Reynolds, indicated her death resulted from an “exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma together with low grade lower respiratory tract infection,” The Irish Independent reported Saturday.
The Irish songstress exploded onto the international scene with the release of her second album, “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got,” in 1990. It followed her 1987 “The Lion and the Cobra.”
The “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer received numerous Grammy nominations — and won Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards. Rolling Stone named her its 1991 Artist of the Year. She went on to release 10 studio albums during her decades-long career.
O’Connor notoriously shredded a photo of Pope John Paul II on live television while hosting “Saturday Night Live” in 1992, a condemnation of the Catholic Church’s child-sexual-abuse coverup that pre-dated public revelations by about 10 years.
At the time of her death, O’Connor was grieving the 2022 death of her son Shane, who committed suicide at age 17. She had been open throughout her life about her struggles with mental illness including depression, as well as post-traumatic stress disorder.
Her death came as a shock and inspired tributes from fellow musicians ranging from Bryan Adams to rapper Ice T, and from public figures including Ireland’s president, who called her a “national treasure.” Thousands of fans lined the streets in her hometown of Bray for her funeral procession, with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and U2’s Bono among the mourners.
With News Wire Services
