July 26, 2023 – Sinead O’Connor

Sad news today – singer Sinead O’Connor has died at the age of 56. She released her debut album in 1987, but it was her second album “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got” that was her international breakthrough. It sold more than 7 million copies worldwide and featured her biggest hit, “Nothing Compares 2 U”. It was originally written by Price and released under his side project, the Family, but O’Connor’s version was named the number world single in 1990 by the Billboard  Music Awards. At the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards, she became the first female to win Video of the Year for the song’s music video.
O’Connor was no stranger to controversy. Most notably, in 1993 she ripped up a picture of the Pope while performing an a capella version of Bob Marley’s “War” on Saturday Night Live. SNL didn’t know about her plan – during dress rehearsals, she had held up a different picture. The stunt resulted in NBC receiving over 4,000 complaint calls. The network banned her for life, and there were also protests against her in the U.S.
She released 10 studio albums total. Throughout her career, she was unabashedly outspoken about her activism, socio-political views, and her mental health struggles. She wrote on her Facebook page just last month that she was finishing up an album to be released next year, and shared that she had plans to tour in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the U.S. through 2025. Learn more here.