Irish singer-songwriter and activist Sinéad O’Connor, who took the name Shuhada’ Sadaqat later in life, died last year of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, according to a report citing her death certificate.
O’Connor, the “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer who famously tore up a picture of the pope during a 1992 appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” died July 26, 2023. She was 56.
The Irish Independent reported that the singer had also suffered a respiratory tract infection and that O’Connor’s ex-husband John Reynolds registered her death last week. The certificate gives the cause of death as “exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma together with low grade lower respiratory tract infection,” according to the Irish Independent.
O’Connor was found unresponsive at her South East London home and her death was not being treated as suspicious, the Metropolitan Police confirmed to The Times last July.
Earlier this year, the London Inner South Coroner’s Court confirmed that O’Connor died of “natural causes,” sparking confusion about the circumstances of her death, since the phrase is often associated with people who die of old age.
“It has been said that death is considered to have arisen from natural causes if the evidence shows that it is probable (that is, more likely than not) that the cause of death was the result of a naturally occurring disease process running its course, “ the Coroners’ Society of England & Wales said in a January statement shared with People.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease “is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that causes obstructed airflow from the lungs,” the Mayo Clinic says. People who live with COPD, often caused by long-term exposure to irritating gases or particulate matter like cigarette smoke, are at increased risk for developing heart disease, lung cancer and other conditions.
Weeks after her death, O’Connor was interred in her coastal hometown of Bray, Ireland, after a townwide celebration of life that included scores of fans singing along to her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” as they followed her flower-filled hearse.
The National Wax Museum Plus in Dublin will also memorialize O’Connor with a wax figure — but not without some more work. The museum faced public backlash last week over its take on the “All Apologies” singer, which O’Connor’s brother John slammed as “inappropriate,” according to the BBC.
“It looked nothing like her and I thought it was hideous,” he reportedly told Irish radio program Liveline last week.
The museum addressed the statue controversy in a Friday statement and vowed to “create a more accurate presentation.”
“We are committed to creating a new wax figure that better reflects Sinead O’Connor’s true spirit and iconic image,” it said in a statement. “Our team of skilled artists will begin this project immediately, ensuring that every detail is meticulously crafted to celebrate her legacy appropriately.”
Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.
