It has been claimed that Sinéad O’Connor sadly "died of a broken heart" after the tragic death of her teenage son.
On July 26, it was announced that the acclaimed Irish singer-songwriter sadly passed away at the age of 56, per a heartbreaking statement by her family to the Irish broadcaster RTE.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad," they shared. "Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."
Her death led to an outpouring of tributes from Ireland and across the world, as many mourners and famous faces such as U2's Bono and Sir Bob Geldof gathered outside her home in Bray, County Wicklow to lay flowers and handwritten notes.
The Grammy-winning singer released her critically acclaimed debut studio album The Lion and the Cobra in 1987 and soon shot to international stardom after her 1990 rendition of Prince's 'Nothing Compares 2 U' - which went on to top the Billboard Music Awards as the world's number-one single in 1990.
Throughout her career, she released 10 studio albums between 1987 and 2014 that deeply resonated with her fans worldwide, the second of which, 1990’s I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, sold more than seven million copies.
She adopted the name Shuhada' Sadaqat after converting to Islam in 2018 and revealed during an interview on the Irish TV show, The Late Late Show, the following year that she "had been a Muslim all my life and didn't realize it".
O'Connor leaves behind three children - Jake, Roisin, and Yeshua, with her son Shane having passed the age of 17 away after tragically taking his own life.
Days before her death, O'Connor spoke about her loss on Twitter, sharing a photo of the two of them together in happier times with the heartwrenching caption: "#lostmy17yrOldSonToSuicidein2022."
"Been living as undead night creature since. He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul. We were one soul in two halves," she continued. "He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally. I am lost in the bardo without him."
Last year, no medical cause for her passing was established and the coroner’s report confirmed an autopsy would take place, and her official cause of death was ruled to be down to "natural causes".
However, in a new RTÉ documentary titled Sinéad, which will cover the singer's outstanding career, O’Connor's friend David Holmes has alleged that she "died of a broken heart," as cited by Metro.
"Even though Sinéad was this incredibly resilient survivor, I totally believe that people can die of a broken heart," the 54-year-old producer explained, per the outlet.
The duo ended up recording nine tracks together for her planned 11th studio album, No Veteran Dies Alone, before her passing. Plans were made to release the record, but the 10th and final song would ultimately never be finished.
Speaking about their first meeting, Holmes shared: "We ended up backstage. I just stopped and introduced myself. At that moment wasn’t a good time for Sinéad - everybody knows she had mental health issues."
Sinéad aired on Monday (January 8) on RTE One and RTE Player.
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