Sinéad O’Connor’s official cause of death revealed

Celebrities

By Erin Keller and Samantha Ibrahim

Trailblazing Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor died by natural causes on July 26, according to the coroner. She was 56.

According to a report from the Daily Mail, she was found at a home in Herne Hill, London, when the authorities were called.

Police did not believe her death was suspicious.

“This is to confirm that Ms O’Connor died of natural causes,” a rep for Southwark Coroners Court told the outlet.

“The coroner has therefore ceased their involvement in her death.”

The Post has contacted reps for O’Connor for comment.

Police said O’Connor was “pronounced dead at the scene” after being found “unresponsive” at her London home at around 11 a.m. on July 26.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time,” O’Connor’s family said in a statement at the time.

The “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer’s death came just weeks after she moved into her new London home and discussed plans for new music and a tour in 2024.

Her passing also came 18 months after her 17-year-old son, Shane, died by suicide in January 2022.

“I’ve decided to follow my son. There is no point living without him,” O’Connor eerily tweeted a day after Shane’s body was found.

She was hospitalized after the tweets.

As she continued to grieve the loss, O’Connor’s management team released a statement in June 2022 announcing she was canceling all of her scheduled gigs and would not be performing for the rest of the year.

O’Connor paid tribute to Shane in her final tweet, on July 17, in which she responded to another tweet asking users to “tell me how your life is going with emojis.”

“😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 #lostmy17yrOldSonToSuicidein2022,” O’Connor wrote.

“Been living as undead night creature since. 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,” she added.

O’Connor had attempted suicide before.

On “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in October 2007, she shared that she had attempted suicide on her 33rd birthday, in 1999. 

She told Winfrey that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but years later, after several “second opinions,” she revealed that was a misdiagnosis.

She told Dr. Phil in 2017 that a radical hysterectomy in 2015 caused her to “lose” her mind and become suicidal.

O’Connor further claimed in 2021 that she had been diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder. 

She posted a 12-minute video to Facebook in August 2017 explaining that she had felt alone since losing custody of Shane in 2013 and had been suicidal for the previous two years.

The “Drink Before the War” singer claimed in the video that her psychiatrist was “about the only f—-ing thing keeping me alive at the moment.”

Born on Dec. 8, 1966, O’Connor burst onto the music scene in 1987 with her debut album “The Lion and the Cobra.”

The outspoken “protest artist” became a household name in 1990 with her power ballad “Nothing Compares 2 U,” written by Prince.

The song’s music video, which featured a close-up of a tearful O’Connor against a black background, became one of the most recognizable clips of the decade.

O’Connor would go on to become an international sensation whose career boasted 10 studio albums.

In October 1992, the Grammy winner infamously turned her “Saturday Night Live” musical performance into a protest.

While performing an a cappella version of Bob Marley’s “War,” O’Connor tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II to fight against sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.

O’Connor had a tragic life that started with childhood abuse at the hands of her mother, Marie O’Grady.

In her 2021 memoir “Rememberings,” O’Connor revealed that the intent of her “SNL” performance was “to destroy my mother’s photo of the pope.”

“It represented lies and liars and abuse. The type of people who kept these things were devils like my mother,” O’Connor wrote, claiming she visited her mother’s home after her 1985 death and “took down from her bedroom wall the only photo she ever had up there, which was of Pope John Paul II.”

O’Connor had four brief marriages and three children, Jake, Roisin, Yeshua, besides Shane.

If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.