Tributes are pouring in as we speak for the one-of-a-kind Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, a powder keg of controversy who 18 months ago was forced to endure the suicide death of her son. As of this morning, the cause of O’Connor death remains unknown.
O’Connor’s breakthrough hit, “Nothing Compares 2 U,” rocketed to the top spot on most international pop charts in 1990. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine named her Artist of the Year.
Two years later, on America’s most popular comedy show, “Saturday Night Live,” she tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul II—the pinnacle of power of the Catholic faith–in response to the theretofore unaddressed, rampant sexual abuse suffered by young, male parishioners of that faith at the hands of Catholic priests.
O’Connor once expressed support for the Irish Republican Army (I.R.A.) in its war against the UK to preserve Irish interests, and banned the performance of the U.S. national anthem prior to her live performances apparently due to its systemically racist policies.
O’Connor fought for indigenous peoples’ rights and recognition, for women’s rights, and in general, for the most vulnerable and oppressed factions of society.
In 2018, O’Connor seemed to find some much-sought-after inner peace when she converted to Islam, saying that her decision was “the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian’s journey.”