All About Sinéad O'Connor’s 4 Children

The singer, who died at age 56 in July, was the mother of four children: Jake, Roisin, Shane and Yeshua

Sinéad O'Connor wasn’t just a music legend, she was also a mother.

On July 26, the Irish singer’s family confirmed in a statement to RTE that she has died at age 56.

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad," the statement read. "Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."

The singer — who broke through in 1990 with her No. 1 hit "Nothing Compares 2 U," a song written and composed by Prince — was the mother of four children, including her late son Shane O'Connor, who died at age 17 in 2022.

Though she dealt with several personal struggles in her life, including an abusive relationship with her mother as a child and mental health struggles, she was incredibly proud of her children. She primarily kept them out of the spotlight, but in 2021, O'Connor spoke fondly of them with PEOPLE.

Here’s everything to know about her four children.

Jake Reynolds

O'Connor welcomed her first child, son Jake Reynolds, in 1987 with music producer John Reynolds. In 2015, Jake and his girlfriend Lia welcomed their first child, a baby boy, making O'Connor a grandmother.

At the time, O'Connor excitedly announced the news on Facebook, posting a cartoon that spelled out, "It's a boy,” alongside the caption: "Don't mess with abuelita."

Speaking with PEOPLE in 2021, O'Connor said that “I see [my children] as much as they want to see me,” which had become less frequent with her adult children lately “because they're just so busy themselves with their children.”

She also revealed that her two eldest are in the food services profession: Jake is a chef, and Roisin is a pastry chef.

Roisin Waters

In 1995, O'Connor welcomed her first and only daughter Roisin, whom she shares with journalist John Waters. Following her birth, O'Connor and Waters went through a lengthy custody battle; after O'Connor attempted suicide, she gave custody of Roisin to Waters, as MTV News reported in 1999.

In 2014, Roisin made a rare public appearance with her mother when the two performed a duet on Icelandic TV.

Despite having a “great singing voice,” O'Connor told PEOPLE in 2021, she was relieved her daughter decided to be a pastry chef instead of going into the music industry. “I used to be frightened of her getting into the music business because I thought they would treat her like they treat me,” she explained. “I didn't want that.”

Shane Lunny

In 2004, O'Connor welcomed her third child, a son named Shane Lunny, with Irish singer Donal Lunny. Speaking with PEOPLE in 2021, she called Shane “a real mommy's boy ... He just loves his mommy since the day he was born."

In the interview, O'Connor added of her then-teenage son that he was less focused on going to college, instead hoping to be follow in his mom's footsteps.

“He's the one of them that keeps saying he wants to be a musician,” she said. “He's a brilliant wordsmith. When he was 8, he was sent to a particular organization that assessed his intellect, and they said that in his use of vocabulary, he was the age 16. He's a master of English. So he wants to be a rapper in particular, which I'd say he'd be great at because he's a brilliant wordsmith.”

The following year, O'Connor dealt with a major tragedy as Shane died by suicide at age 17 in January 2022, a week after going missing.

"My beautiful son, Nevi'im Nesta Ali Shane O'Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God," she tweeted at the time. "May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace."

In a follow-up post, the "Nothing Compares to You" singer tweeted a Bob Marley song, which she dedicated to Shane. "This is for my Shaney. The light of my life. The lamp of my soul. My blue-eye baby," she wrote. "You will always be my light. We will always be together. No boundary can separate us."

Shortly before O'Connor's own death in 2023, she posted another tribute to her son. "Been living as undead night creature since," his death, she wrote on Twitter. "He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul. We were one soul in two halves. He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally. I am lost in the bardo without him."

Yeshua Bonadio

O'Connor’s fourth child, a son named Yeshua Bonadio, was born in 2006. She shares Yeshua with Frank Bonadio. In 2021, O'Connor spoke about Yeshua’s interests, noting he was also an “incredible musician ... [He] plays piano and everything incredibly and an incredible singing voice.”

However, she noted that Yeshua “could do anything” career-wise. “He's half American, so he's interested in going to college in America,” she said at the time. “His father is a scientist. So we'll see. But I would not be surprised if he got into music, because he likes money.”

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