Sinéad O'Connor's Marriages: What She Said About Her Past Spouses
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Sinéad O'Connor was married four times, tying the knot for the first time in 1987
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Sinéad O'Connor had several memorable relationships throughout her life.
The Irish singer-songwriter — who died on July 26 at age 56 — was married four times, tying the knot for the first time with drummer John Reynolds in 1987, with whom she welcomed her first child, son Jake.
Between marriages, the "Nothing Compares 2 U" singer engaged in several other relationships and welcomed three more children. She had a daughter named Roisin with John Waters, a son named Shane with Donal Lunny (who died at age 17 by suicide in 2022) and a son named Yeshua with Frank Bonadio.
O'Connor's final marriage was to psychotherapist Barry Herridge, a marriage that infamously ended 16 days after tying the knot in 2011. The musician opened up to the Irish Sun in 2014, revealing, "I wish I hadn't ever got married."
Related: All About Sinéad O'Connor’s 4 Children
"Silly cow. Four times," she continued. "What a t—t. Now I can't ever get married once and properly. Anyway, I look stupid in dresses. And clearly, I'm a crap wife."
After three decades of dealing with public opinion, she decided to keep her romances private after her fourth marriage — in part due to the media, which scrutinized her and her partner's personal life and actions.
“The behaviour of one particular paper resulted in very serious damage to my husband and myself personally and consequently made the marriage untenable so that it is now over and I hope the media will kindly leave the poor man alone to get on with his life,” she wrote on her website in 2012.
Read on to learn about O'Connor's past marriages.
John Reynolds
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O'Connor's first husband was John Reynolds. They tied the knot in 1987 and had one child together, a son named Jake.
A musician in his own right, Reynolds doubled as a drummer and music producer. In fact, he collaborated with O'Connor on several of her albums, including her first, The Lion and the Cobra, released in October of that year.
Reynolds joined forces with O'Connor on a number of other records. Among them include I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got in 1990 and Universal Mother in 1994. He also drummed for O'Connor's band on her 2013 tour.
O'Connor and Reynolds ended their marriage in 1991. In July 2015, the Irish artist announced that she became a grandmother at age 48 after her son Jake welcomed his first baby.
In May 2016, O'Connor penned a scathing open letter to her ex-husband and their child on Facebook, following a mysterious alleged disappearance in a Chicago suburb earlier the same day.
The note was one of the many alarming posts penned by O'Connor, who opened up about her struggles with mental illness and depression on multiple occasions.
Nick Sommerlad
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O'Connor's second husband was Nick Sommerland, a relative of Queen Silvia of Sweden. He proposed to her in June 2001, after only dating for a few months prior.
The pair was first introduced while Sommerland was working for the Press Association in Dublin. "A journalist friend of mine and hers introduced us. We have been going out since February," he told the Irish Sun, reported BBC.
"I am delighted and so is she," he added, prior to tying the knot in a secret ceremony. In August 2004, the writer and musician got married in Anglesea, Wales, where Sommerlad's family lived.
O'Connor's wedding to Sommerland came after her reported two-year relationship with diarist Dermot Hayes. At the time, she had two children: son John (who she shared with Reynolds) and five-year-old daughter Roisín (who she shared with former boyfriend John Waters).
The couple ultimately split after 11 months of marriage but kept their divorce a secret at first. O'Connor reportedly vowed that she'd "never get married again," according to the Irish Independent.
Steve Cooney
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O'Connor's third husband was Steve Cooney, an Australian-Irish musician born in Melbourne who played in a number of rock bands since his teenage years. He moved to Ireland in 1980s to continue his career.
Among the musical groups Cooney played in was O'Conner's. He was hired to play guitar in her backing band, which marked the first time the two met.
O'Connor and Cooney tied the knot while on tour in July 2010. Their wedding was announced in a statement on her official website: “We who run this site are very happy to announce the marriage of Steve Cooney and Sinéad O’Connor has taken place this morning."
After less than a year together, the couple divorced in April 2011. The singer took the blame for their breakup, according to the Irish Examiner.
"Steve is lovely so it’s not his fault but mine," she said at the time of their split, per the outlet. "It was an extremely happy marriage," she added. "I’m heartbroken about it breaking up."
Barry Herridge
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O'Connor's fourth husband was Barry Herridge, a psychotherapist from Ireland who's best known for his infamously short marriage to the singer.
In 2011, the couple wed in a drive-thru wedding in Las Vegas on Dec. 8 (her 45th birthday) — but just 16 days later, O’Connor and Herridge called it quits.
The musician broke the news on her now-defunct website, revealing that her marriage was over. She blamed the pressures placed upon him by “certain people in his life” not to be with her.
Meanwhile, the two appeared to be pretty chummy in the days that followed. For example, O’Connor had been professing her love for Herridge on her Twitter account with tweets that read: “Spent beautiful evening of love making … Yay!!! we decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend again an stay married but we did rush so we gonna return to b friend g friend.”
O'Connor and Herridge were later spotted walking arm-in-arm together after leaving a pub in Ireland in early January 2012. Ultimately, the couple never got back together.
O'Connor never remarried. Speaking with PEOPLE in 2021, she confirmed she was single and not looking to get involved with anyone. “The last man that touched my body took out my reproductive system,” she said at the time. “I’ve not let a man touch my body in any way since.”
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