Sinéad O'Connor's Life in Photos

Remembering the complicated life of the Irish singer-songwriter

Sinéad O'Connor's 56 years were full of beautiful music, difficult personal moments and a complicated relationship with the public. The Dublin-born songstress — who died on July 26, 2023 — released Grammy-nominated songs that listeners felt deeply, while grappling with a childhood filled with abuse and later years that saw her mental health struggles play out in the spotlight. Through it all, she raised four children and never stopped speaking her mind.

Revisit the singer's life and career in photos on what would have been her 57th birthday.

Early Days

Born in Dublin on Dec. 8, 1966, O'Connor endured a difficult childhood which she later ascribed to her mother's abuse at home. During a 2017 appearance on Dr. Phil, the singer remembered how the horrors at home lessened when she became a teenager. She established a "very good relationship” with her mother in the years before she died in a car accident when O'Connor was 19 years old.

Starting Out in Music

O'Connor's musical talents caught professional attention when she was a teen in the 1980s. She formed a Dublin-based band called Tou Tou Macoute and eventually dropped out of school to pursue performing full time. Her singing eventually earned her a solo deal with Ensign Records.

Working With Stars

The Irish artist linked up with U2's The Edge to sing and co-write a song called "Heroine," one of her earliest major projects. Several years later, O'Connor sang lyrics written by another U2 bandmate, Bono. Their 1994 song "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" was listed on the soundtrack for the film In the Name of the Father.

O'Connor's Debut Album

O'Connor released her first album, The Lion and the Cobra, in 1987, which charted worldwide. The record also received a Grammy nod for best female rock vocal performance in 1989.

Global Recognition

While her album didn't win in 1989, O'Connor went on to receive eight total Grammy nominations. In 1991, she took home the award for best alternative music performance with her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got.

Foray Into Acting

O'Connor appeared on screens for the first time in the Northern Irish TV film Hush-a-Bye Baby. The movie was set just a few years before its release in 1989 and centered around teenage girls during the period of turmoil known as "the Troubles."

Earning More Accolades

Beyond the Grammys, O'Connor consistently earned nods from the Billboard Music Awards, the MTV Video Music Awards, the Brit Awards and more. Her iconic cover of Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U" — which she released in 1990 — won three of its six VMA nominations, plus a Billboard Music Award for No. 1 world single.

Legendary Live Collaboration

In 1991, O'Connor was one of several major music names to take part in Roger Waters' collaborative concert The Wall - Live in Berlin. The massive gathering commemorated the historic fall of the Berlin Wall. O'Connor, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, Cyndi Lauper and many more performed songs from Pink Floyd's 1979 album The Wall.

Finding Love

O'Connor was married four times over the course of her life. Her first husband was music producer John Reynolds. They tied the knot in 1987, two years after they welcomed their son, Jake.

Reynolds and O'Connor were more than just romantic partners — they were also collaborators. He produced several of her albums, including some which she made after their divorce in 1991. He even joined her as a drummer on her tour in 2013.

Growing a Family

After Jake (pictured), O'Connor became a mom to three more children. She and journalist John Waters welcomed a daughter, Roisin, in 1996. She had another son, Shane, with musician Donal Lunny in 2004, and in 2006 she welcomed a fourth child, her son Yeshua, with Frank Bonadio.

In 2022, the musician's son Shane died by suicide at age 17. Shortly before O'Connor's own death, she aired her heartbreak in a series of since-deleted tweets.

"Been living as undead night creature since. He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul," she shared on social media. "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."

Working With Peter Gabriel

During the early '90s, O'Connor developed a close personal and professional relationship with Peter Gabriel. After collaborating on a few songs, she joined him on his Secret World Tour. The duo also sparked romantic rumors, especially when she was spotted by his side at the MTV VMAs in 1993.

In her 2021 memoir, Rememberings, O'Connor revealed that things between them were indeed intimate, though not particularly serious. She characterized it as "an on-and-off fling" in her book.

Vocal Beliefs

Throughout her career, O'Connor spoke openly about her personal, political and religious beliefs. This often made her the subject of criticism and conversation. However between her attendance at rallies and posts on Facebook in her later years, O'Connor's infamous appearance on Saturday Night Live may have been her most controversial move.

'Saturday Night Live' Controversy

In 1992, O'Connor tore apart a photo of Pope John II on the sketch show, a response to the Catholic Church's then-alleged sexual abuse of children. Despite the heated reaction to her stunt, the singer consistently defended her actions. In 2021, she told PEOPLE that she anticipated the backlash.

"I had a pretty good feeling. And part to me just as an artist, particularly an Irish artist — there's a tradition in Irish art, particularly among playwrights, there used to be riots in the streets over the plays," O'Connor explained. "This is a tradition in Irish art of the type of, 'Let's see what happens if.' So there was a part of me that was curious to see what would happen,"

O'Connor on Religion

After years of following in the Catholic faith — and even becoming an ordained priest in the early '90s — O'Connor converted to Islam in 2018. She announced her new religious alignment in a Twitter post and began wearing a hijab. She changed her name to Shuhada Davitt and subsequently changed her last name to Sadaqat.

Finding More Love

O'Connor was married four times during her life. After divorcing John Reynolds, she was with the British journalist Nick Sommerlad. They divorced after just 11 months. In 2010, O'Connor married fellow musician Steve Cooney (pictured on right with O'Connor), though they split less than a year later as well. In 2011, she was married to psychotherapist Barry Herridge for just 16 days before they called it off.

Making Beautiful Music

Despite her ups and downs, O'Connor rarely stopped making music. Her most recent album, I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss dropped in 2014 to mostly positive reviews, and she released a new single in 2020, a cover of Mahalia Jackson's "Trouble of the World," donating proceeds from sales to Black Lives Matter, NME reported.

Telling All

In 2021, O'Connor released an eye-opening memoir entitled Rememberings, which touched on everything from the abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother and the trauma that followed to her encounters with celebs including collaborator Prince.

Reliving some of these difficult experiences was a double-edged sword for O'Connor. As she told the New York Times, "Down the mountain, as I call it, nobody can forget about Sinead O’Connor." However privately, she was able to live a quieter life, “which is beautiful for me,” she said. “It’s lovely having friends.”

Her Final Months

O'Connor's final public appearance was on March 9, 2023, at the RTÉ Choice Music Awards in Dublin. There, according to the Irish Star, the singer was awarded Classic Irish Album for her memorable 1990 record, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got. In announcing the honor, RTÉ said that the work was "a testament to her extraordinary musical and vocal talent and her determination to stand apart," joe.ie reported.

On July 26, news broke that O'Connor had died. She was 56 years old.

Protecting Her Legacy

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE from 2021 about Rememberings, the Irish singer-songwriter revealed that she stressed the importance of protecting her art and finances to her kids if she died.

O'Connor told them they should call her accountant before they call 911.

"See, when the artists are dead, they're much more valuable than when they're alive. Tupac has released way more albums since he died than he ever did alive, so it's kind of gross what record companies do," she told PEOPLE at the time.

O'Connor continued, "That's why I've always instructed my children since they were very small, 'If your mother drops dead tomorrow, before you called 911, call my accountant and make sure the record companies don't start releasing my records and not telling you where the money is.'"

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