Sinéad O'Connor, fierce activist and haunting singer of 'Nothing Compares 2 U,' dies at 56
LOS ANGELES — Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor, who shot to fame in 1990 with a shaved head and the Prince-written hit "Nothing Compares 2 U," then cemented her place in pop culture by shredding a picture of the pope on "Saturday Night Live," has died.
The death of the soulful, complicated star, whose mental health struggles often threatened to eclipse her art, was announced in a family statement Wednesday issued to the BBC. She was 56.
"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. No cause of death was given.
Representatives for O'Connor — who changed her name to Shuhada' Sadaqat later in life, when she converted to Islam — did not immediately respond Wednesday to the L.A. Times' requests for confirmation.
During her reign in the early 1990s, the artist positioned herself at the forefront of cultural scandals, frequently lamenting growing up in Ireland's "theocracy" and abuses in the Catholic Church. She shaved her head to defy expectations about
