MusicSinéad O’Connor: 1966-2023

Sinéad O’Connor 1966-2023: A life in pictures

The Irish singer, who has died at the age of 56, will be remembered for her unique voice and activism

Sinéad O’Connor performs at Paradiso, Amsterdam, Netherlands, in March 1988. Photograph: Paul Bergen/Redferns)

Wed Jul 26 2023 - 21:00

Acclaimed Dublin singer Sinéad O’Connor, whose death was announced on Tuesday, released 10 studio albums, while her song Nothing Compares 2 U was named the number one world single in 1990 by the Billboard Music Awards. Throughout her music career, she cut a striking figure.

Sinéad O’Connor performs at Paradiso, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in March 1988. Photograph: Paul Bergen/Redferns

Performing at the Glastonbury festival in 1990. Photograph: Martyn Goodacre/Getty Images

Sinéad O’Connor and Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders in London for the fourth United Nations Global Conference on Women. Photograph: Fiona Hanson/PA Wire

Sinéad O’Connor with Kurt Cobain of Nirvana along with his wife Courtney Love and daughter Frances Bean Cobain at 10th Annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1993. Photograph: Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Sinéad O’Connor appeared numerous times on The Late Late Show, including Gay Byrne's final show in May 1999. Photograph: Steve Humphreys

Sinéad O’Connor and Gay Byrne during his final Late Late Show in 1999. Photograph: David Conachy/Independent News and Media/Getty Images

Sinéad O’Connor rips up a picture of Pope John Paul II on US TV show Saturday Night Live in October 1992. Photograph: Yvonne Hemsey/Getty Images

Sinéad O’Connor rips up a picture of Pope John Paul II on US TV show Saturday Night Live in October 1992. Photograph: AP Photo/NBC-TV

Performing at the Pinkpop festival in Landgraaf, the Netherlands, in June 1995. Photograph: Paul Bergen/Redferns

At the Glastonbury festival in 1992. Photograph: Nick Wall/Mirrorpix/Getty Images

Sinéad O’Connor and her brother Joe at the launch of his book, Ghost Light, at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, in March 2011. Photograph: James Horan/Collins

Performing at the opening of the Dublin Convention Centre in September 2010. Photograph: James Horan/Collins

Performing at the Oxegen Music festival at Punchestown racecourse, Co Kildare, in 2007. Photograph: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Sinead O'Connor recieves the Classic Irish Album award for I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got at the RTÉ Choice Music Prize at Vicar Street in March 2023. Photogaph Kieran Frost/Redferns

Sinéad O’Connor performing in the Netherlands in 1989. Photograph: Michel Linssen/Redferns)

Sinéad O’Connor at her home in Wicklow, in May 2021, marking the upcoming publication of her memoir Rememberings. Photograph: Ellius Grace/The New York Times

Sinéad O’Connor at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles in February 2020. Photograph: Lindsey Best for the Washington Post

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