What Was Sinéad O'Connor's Net Worth In 2023?

Parade
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Sinéad O'Connor died on July 26, 2023, at age 56. The Irish singer flew under the radar for several years before her passing, especially following the tragic death of her teenage son, Jake, by suicide in 2022.

While largely removed from the public eye for decades, O'Connor's impact on pop culture was indelible, and Sinéad O'Connor's net worth in 2023 doesn't reflect the value she brought to discourse—because she was way ahead of her time in a lot of ways.

Related: Sinéad O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U" Backstory

How did Sinéad O'Connor become famous?

Sinéad O'Connor was abused by her mother as a kid in Ireland, and the trauma of the experience made her an understandably troubled child. She skipped school and shoplifted, leading her to spend a year and a half in the Grianán Training Centre, a home for troubled women. That fateful 18 months would change her life forever.

While at Grianán, she studied and practiced music, catching the attention of Paul Byrne, drummer of the Irish band In Tua Nua, when she was 15. While she was deemed too young to join his band at the time, it made her pursue music as a serious career. She eventually began working with Fachtna O'Ceallaigh, the former head of U2's label, Mother Records, and released her debut album, The Lion and The Cobra, on Chrysalis Records in 1987. The album was certified gold, bolstered by her singles "Mandinka" and "I Want Your (Hands On Me)," and nominated for a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance.

It was O'Connor's sophomore album that made her a megastar: Released in 1990, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got was critically acclaimed and a commercial success thanks to her cover of "Nothing Compares 2 U," penned by Prince.

Related: Stars Pay Tribute to Sinéad O'Connor After Her Death

What was Sinéad O'Connor's net worth in 2023?

Sinéad O'Connor's net worth in 2023, at the time of her death, was estimated at $1.5 million, though it may have been considerably lower. The reasons for that are manifold: Because of the trauma she suffered as a child, O'Connor struggled with her mental health throughout her adult life, and that pain was compounded by her fame.

O'Connor was largely blacklisted by the entertainment industry and music business after her infamous Saturday Night Live appearance. On Oct. 3, 1992, in protest of the Catholic Church's child sexual abuse, O'Connor ripped a photo of Pope John Paul II  during an a cappella performance of Bob Marley's "War" on the NBC staple variety show, infuriating the masses and getting banned from 30 Rock indefinitely.

Here, O'Connor was almost a decade ahead of her time, as her protest came nine years before the Catholic Church's widespread abuses were publicized on a global scale. She later explained that it was also a way of coming to terms with her mother's death, as a photo of the Pope was the only photo her abusive mother kept in her bedroom.

"The media was making me out to be crazy because I wasn't acting like a pop star was supposed to act," she told The New York Times in 2021. "It seems to me that being a pop star is almost like being in a type of prison. You have to be a good girl."

Related: Sinéad O'Connor Shared Major Album Update Two Weeks Before Her Death

How many hits did Sinéad O'Connor have?

In terms of singles, O'Connor had at least seven hit singles:

  • "Nothing Compares 2 U" peaked at No. 1.

  • "The Emperor's New Clothes" peaked at No. 1.

  • "Jump In the River" peaked at No. 17.

  • "Success Has Made A Failure of Our Home" peaked at No. 20.

  • "You Made Me the Thief of Your Heart" peaked at No. 24.

  • "Mandinka" was a hit in the U.K. as well as on college radio stateside.

  • "I Want Your (Hands On Me)" got a sweet remix from MC Lyte that made it a hit on the dance charts.

Related: What Is Sinéad O'Connor's Cause of Death?

How many records did Sinéad O'Connor sell?

Throughout her career, O'Connor has sold more than 11 million albums worldwide. Of that, 7 million sales were from I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got and 1.2 million were from Am I Not Your Girl. Her sales dropped off somewhat steeply following her SNL appearance in October 1992.

How long was Sinéad O'Connor at No. 1?

"Nothing Compares 2 U" was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, O'Connor's longest and highest chart peak. "The Emperor's New Clothes" was at No. 1 for one week.

Next, Stars Who Died In 2023