| Sinéad O’Connor Quick Info |
|---|
| Height | 5 ft 4 in |
| Weight | 55 kg |
| Date of Birth | December 8, 1966 |
| Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
| Date of Death | July 2023 |
Sinéad O’Connor first found fame with her debut album, The Lion and the Cobra. She became a huge international star in 1990 after her arrangement of Prince’s song Nothing Compares 2 U became an immense global hit. After the 90s, she decided to experiment more with her music and decided to focus on staying true to what she wanted her music to be and shun commercial success. However, that didn’t hold her back as her albums such as Faith and Courage and Throw Down Your Arms (her first reggae album) were highly acclaimed by critics and sold tens of thousands of units as well.
Born Name
Sinéad Marie Bernadette O’Connor
Nick Name
Sinéad
Age
Sinéad was born on December 8, 1966.
Died
In July 2023, it was revealed that Sinéad had passed away at the age of 56.
Sun Sign
Sagittarius
Born Place
Glenageary, County Dublin, Ireland
Nationality
Education
Sinéad O’Connor improved her vocal skills at the Parnell School of Music where she was trained by her teacher Frank Merriman.
Occupation
Singer, Songwriter, Musician, Priest
Family
- Father – Sean O’Connor (Structural Engineer, Barrister, and served as a Chairperson of the Divorce Action Group)
- Mother – Marie O’Connor
- Siblings – Joseph O’Connor (Brother) (Novelist), John O’Connor (Brother), Eimear O’Connor (Sister), Eoin O’Connor (Sister)
- Others – Thomas O’Connor (Paternal Grandfather), Ellen O’Neill (Paternal Grandmother), Patrick O’Grady (Maternal Grandfather), Kathleen Roche (Maternal Grandmother)
Manager
Sinéad O’Connor was represented by Beverly Hills-based Paradigm Talent Agency.
Genre
Alternative Rock, Pop Rock, Folk Rock
Instruments
Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Percussion, Low Whistle
Labels
Vanguard, Chocolate and Vanilla, One Little Indian, Nettwerk Music Group, Ensign Records
Build
Slim
Height
5 ft 4 in or 162.5 cm
Weight
55 kg or 121 lbs
Girlfriend / Boyfriend / Spouse
Sinéad O’Connor had dated –
Tex Axile – Sinéad was rumored to have had an affair with English musician, Tex Axile. However, they had publicly maintained that they had always been good friends.John Reynolds (1985-1991) – In 1985, Sinéad started going out with music producer, John Reynolds, and they eventually got married in a small and intimate wedding ceremony in 1987. During the course of their marriage, she gave birth to their son, Jake. It had been reported that she decided to go for an abortion in 1990. Later, they got officially divorced in 1991. However, they separated on good terms as John continued to work as a producer and drummer on her musical projects.Anthony Kiedis (1990) – In 1990, Sinéad hooked up with American singer and songwriter, Anthony Kiedis, who is the lead singer of Red Hot Chili Peppers. He had initially slipped her a love note and they got together in Los Angeles. But, their fling ended without any s*xual intercourse and he later called it the most wonderful non-s*xual relationship he had ever had.Peter Gabriel – In the early 90s, O’Connor was linked with English singer and songwriter, Peter Gabriel. During that phase, they collaborated for a couple of music projects and shows. In her interview with Rolling Stone in October 1992, she credited Gabriel for helping her come through a difficult phase in her life. However, in the same interview, she also insisted that they were just good friends.John Waters – In the mid-90s, Sinéad had a very short lived and tempestuous affair with Irish columnist, John Waters. In March 1996, she gave birth to their daughter, Brigidine Róisíne Waters. However, soon after the birth, Sinead and Waters’s relationship turned sour and marked the start of the long-fought custody battle, which ended with O’Connor agreeing to let Róisíne live in Dublin with Waters. It had also been reported that she tried to commit suicide after giving up Róisíne’s custody.Nick Sommerlad (2000-2004) – In 2000, she started dating British journalist, Nick Sommerlad and they got married in the summer of 2001. Their marriage barely lasted 3 years as they got divorced in the early months of 2004. However, as per the reports, their marriage had crumbled at least a year before the official divorce.Donal Lunny (2003-2004) – In the early months of 2003, Sinéad hooked up with musician Donal Lunny. In March 2004, she gave birth to their son, Shane Lunny, but they decided to end their relationship in December 2004.Frank Bonadio (2006-2007) – As per some reports, she started going out with Frank Bonadio in the early months of 2006 and gave birth to their son, Yeshua Francis Neil Bonadio, the same year. In her February 2007 interview with Irish Daily Mirror, she revealed that she had separated from Bonadio as she didn’t want to get involved in difficulties involving Frank and his former wife, singer Mary Coughlan.Steve Cooney (2010-2011) – In July 2010, she got married to her close friend and musician, Steve Cooney. She had collaborated with Cooney for a number of musical projects but it was revealed in March 2011 that they had separated and their divorce got finalized in the following month.Barry Herridge (2011-2023) – In December 2011, Sinéad got married for the 4th time to Irish therapist, Barry Herridge. They had met 4 months prior to their marriage after she had posted an online plea asking for men who were interested in her to approach her. As the cliche goes, their Las Vegas marriage didn’t last long and only after 17 days, it was announced on her website that she had ended their marriage. It was also revealed later that technically, their marriage lasted for only 7 days. In January 2012, she revealed in a series of social media posts that they had decided to rekindle their romance. In February 2014, she revealed that she and Barry were going to renew their wedding vows. In her apparent suicide letter that was posted on her social media account in November 2015, she blamed Barry, along with her family, some friends, and exes, for her decision to end her life. She also asked him to stand up for her and their relationship had been an on-again and off-again one until Sinéad’s death in 2023.Race / Ethnicity
White
Hair Color
Salt and Pepper
Eye Color
Green
Sexual Orientation
Bisexual
Distinctive Features
Religion
O’Connor was a Catholic but she had a very volatile relationship with the Catholic Church. She had rarely held back her criticism of the church and had even called the Vatican, a nest of devils.
In October 2018, she converted to Islam and changed her name to Shuhada Sadaqat.
Best Known For
- The immense global popularity of her song, Nothing Compares 2 U, which was originally written and composed by legendary singer and musician, Prince, for one of his side projects
- Her controversial antics and statements, in which she had often unleashed fierce and sharp attacks on organized religion, war, child abuse, and women rights deprivation
- The immense commercial success of her studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, which topped music charts in several countries including Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, the United States, and England. The album was certified as platinum in many countries.
First Album
In 1987, she released her debut studio album, The Lion and the Cobra, which did well in Canada, where it got the platinum certification, and in the United States and the UK (the album was certified gold in both the countries). The album sold over 2.5 million copies all over the world.
First Film
She made her theatrical film debut in 1997 in the comedy-drama movie The Butcher Boy.
First TV Show
In 1988, Sinéad O’Connor made her first TV show appearance on the series Apb.
Sinéad O’Connor Favorite Things
- A Person She Admired The Most – Muhammad Ali
- Treasured Possession – Locket holding a relic of the priestly garment of Pope John Paul I and a copy of Tanakh
- Book – Redemption Falls by her brother Joseph O’Connor
- Fancy Dress Costume – Agent Provocateur
- Dream Dinner Party Guests – Dave Chappelle, Robert Downey Jr.
Source – The Guardian
Sinéad O’Connor Facts
At the age of 15, she was sent to a Magdalene Asylum, the Order of Our Lady of Charity operated training center for women or girls who have gone down the wrong path, for 18 months after she had indulged in shoplifting and truancy for far too long.Although she hated the rules and discipline enforced at the asylum, it proved out to be beneficial for the development of her music and writing skills.In the summer of 1984, she met Irish music composer and producer, Colm Farrelly, after he read her newspaper ad. Farrelly decided to build a band around her and call it Ton Ton Macoute. Later, it received a lot of positive feedback.In June 1993, Sinéad published an open letter in The Irish Times, in which, along with some other things, she accused her parents of abusing her as a child. However, her brother, Joseph, decided to defend their father in his own article but conceded that their mother had subjected them to extreme emotional and physical abuse.Her work as the lead singer of Ton Ton Macoute helped her grab the attention of the leading record labels and she eventually signed a record deal with Ensign Records. Also, the former head of U2’s Mother Records, Fachtna O’Ceallaigh, became her manager.Sinéad had been known for her outspoken views and started courting controversies very early in her career as she came out in support of Provisional IRA, which ought to end the British rule in Northern Ireland often through aggression and violence. But, she later retracted and claimed that she was too young to understand the whole situation.In 1990, Sinéad courted another controversy by insisting that she won’t perform in a concert where the U.S. anthem was played before the show. She also withdrew her name from consideration after she was nominated for 4 Grammy Awards.While performing a cappella version of Bob Marley’s War on Saturday Night Live in October 1992, she held a photograph of Pope John Paul II to the camera as she sang the word ‘evil’ and then proceeded to tear the picture into pieces. The network received over 4,400 calls from most of the people being appalled by her behavior. She was later banned from the show.She had claimed in her interviews that she had a punch-up with the singer, Prince, as he wasn’t happy that she remade his song, Nothing Compares 2 U. She was summoned to his house and after a physical confrontation, she left his home at 5 in the morning.During her appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show in October 2007, Sinéad revealed that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about 4 years ago and she had attempted suicide on the eve of her 33rd birthday.During her appearance on Winfrey’s show, Where are they now?, in February 2014, she revealed that she had received 3-second opinions and was unanimously told that she didn’t have bipolar disorder.In May 2016, the comedian Arsenio Hall filed a defamation case against O’Connor after she claimed in an interview that Hall had supplied drugs to Prince, who had passed away in April from accidental fentanyl overdose.In 1991, she was included by People Magazine in their list featuring 50 Most Beautiful People in the World.In 2017, Sinéad announced that she had changed her name to Magda Davitt and claimed that she had done so to get rid of parental curses.In January 2017, she had to sell her 6-bedroom mansion in Bray, the Republic of Ireland for €800,000 so as to take care of the accumulated tax payments.After the Brexit referendum in 2016, Sinéad took to her Facebook to announce that Ireland was officially no longer owned by Britain. It resulted in another controversy as the referendum had nothing to do with the freedom of British sovereign countries and was simply about taking Great Britain out of the Euro Union.In 2003, she revealed that she was suffering from fibromyalgia, which was an illness that caused incredible fatigue. Because of the illness, she decided to retire from music and later claimed that she was only retiring from performing live.In August 2015, she had to undergo a hysterectomy to take care of gynecological problems that she had been suffering from for over 3 years.In May 2016, Sinéad went missing in Chicago’s north suburbs after having gone for a bike ride on a Sunday morning. Because of her mental health problems, there was serious concern among her friends and authorities about her well-being but she was eventually found safe.In August 2017, she again sparked concerns about her health after she posted a video from a motel in New Jersey and revealed that she was suffering from mental hell, and was feeling suicidal.In June 2021, Sinéad confirmed that she had decided to retire from the music industry.In June 2021, her memoir, Rememberings, was released. The memoir was listed among the best books of the year on BBC Culture.Sinéad’s son, Shane passed away in January 2022 at the age of 17. Later that month, Sinéad was hospitalized.Featured Image by Thesupermat / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 3.0
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