Sinéad O’Connor’s death is not being treated as suspicious, British police say

Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor’s death is not being treated as suspicious, London’s Metropolitan Police said Thursday.

Asked for a statement on O’Connor’s death, police said officers were called at around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday (6:15 a.m. ET) for “reports of an unresponsive woman at a residential address” in south London.

Officers found “a 56-year-old woman” who was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

“A file will be prepared for the coroner,” the police statement said.

The family of O’Connor, who skyrocketed to fame with her 1990 rendition of the Prince song “Nothing Compares 2 U,” announced her death in a statement to Irish and British media Wednesday. 

“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,” the statement said. A cause of death was not given.

Her 17-year-old son, Shane O’Connor, died of an apparent suicide last year. She announced his death in January 2022. 

O’Connor, a Dublin native, made as many headlines for controversy as she did for her music, including boycotting the Grammys and ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II on “Saturday Night Live” in October 1992 — a move she said was in protest of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. 

She was known for her iconic shaved head, her punk spirit and her candor about her spiritual life, political views and struggles with mental health, which she detailed in her 2021 memoir, “Rememberings.” 

In 2018, O’Connor converted to Islam and changed her name to Shuhada.

Andrew Jones

Andrew Jones is a senior desk editor.