IRISH music icon Sinead O’Connor has died aged 56.
The singer and activist found worldwide fame with her epic ballad Nothing Compares 2 U in 1990 - one of the standout songs of the decade.
In a statement released this evening, her family said: "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead.
"Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."
Her death comes just 18 months after the heartbreaking loss of her 17-year-old son Shane O'Connor.
Shane went missing from Dublin's Tallaght Hospital following years of struggling with mental health issues.
Sinead described him as the “light of my life”, adding: "My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace."
Reflecting on her loss, she also later wrote: "Been living as an undead night creature since. He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul.
"We were one soul in two halves. He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally."
Her death also marks the end of her own struggles during three decades in the spotlight, marked by euphoric highs and crashing lows.
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The singer has been married four times and has three other children, Jake Reynolds, Roisin Waters and Yeshua Francis Neil Bonadio.
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Piers Morgan started his Uncensored show on TalkTV by paying tribute to the singer.
He began: "We start the show with some very sad breaking news. Irish music legend Sinead O’Connor has died at the age of just 56.
"She was a troubled and beautiful soul. Fearless, uncompromising, shocking, courageous. She was a rebel at heart.
“She took on the Catholic Church. She used a primetime performance on US TV to stage a protest, even as everybody told her it could ruin her career.
"Above all else, she enchanted millions with a song that’s known across the world and across the generations. Few people can truly say their voice defined an era.
"But Sinead’s did. Put simply, nothing compared to Sinead O’Connor.”
Irish presenter Dara O'Briain wrote on twitter: "Ah s***e, Sinead O’Connor has died.
"That’s just very sad news. Poor thing. I hope she realised how much love there was for her."
Singers Jedward hailed Sinead O'Connor as a "true Irish icon of our generation" as they recalled meeting her earlier this year.
Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar described Sinead as being "loved around the world".
He said: "Really sorry to hear of the passing of Sinead O’Connor. Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare.
"Condolences to her family, her friends and all who loved her music."
UFC star Conor McGregor tweeted: "The world has lost an artist with the voice of an Angel.
"Ireland has lost an iconic voice and one of our absolute finest, by a long shot. And I have lost a friend. Sinead's music will live on and continue to inspire!
"Rest In Peace, Sinead you are home with your son I am sure."
The star's career has been defined by controversial moments due to her strong and outspoken views, along with her conversion to Islam in 2018.
She once ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II during a performance on US show Saturday Night Live.
Looking directly into the camera after singing Bob Marley's War, Sinead said "fight the real enemy" - said to be a protest against the Catholic church.
The stunt saw her banned for life by US broadcaster NBC.
Days later, she took part in Bob Dylan’s 30th anniversary tribute concert at Madison Square Garden and was booed
But Sinead stood by the protest, saying in an interview with the New York Times in 2021: "I'm not sorry I did it. It was brilliant."
She also spoke out on racism, human rights, women’s rights, child abuse and organised religion - namely the Catholic Church in her home country.
In a Twitter post on June 6 this year, Sinead quoted a Hawaiian prayer.
It said: "This is dedicated to the many upon whom I have in my life so far brought suffering and is also, with love, for anyone who has in their lives so far brought suffering upon me."
Shared on June 7, 2016, O’Connor's last Instagram post was a black-and-white picture of herself smiling.
In the heartbreaking snap, the singer is dressed simply in a black t-shirt against a plain background.
The post's caption read: "Love the life you have and be grateful for what you are."
Sinead was presented with the inaugural award for Classic Irish Album at the RTE Choice Music Awards in March earlier this year.
Accepting the award on stage, she could be seen beaming, laughing and waving to fans.
The album, named I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, was described by judges as "a stunning body of work by an Irish artist, scorching with originality in songs that are as resonant today as they were more than 30 years ago".
Sinead was born in Glenageary, County Dublin on December 8, 1966, and was the third of five children raised Roman Catholic.
Sinead's troubled teenage years, involving shoplifting and truancy, saw her placed in the Magdalene asylums for 18 months.
There she began to discover her love of singing and in 1984 met Colm Farrelly, with whom she formed a band called Ton Ton Macoute.
However, her mum died in a car crash the following year, resulting in Sinead leaving the band and moving to London.
There she worked with U2 record boss Fachtna O'Ceallaigh, who eventually organised for her to produce her own debut album, while pregnant with her son Jack.
Her first album The Lion and the Cobra was a big success following its release in 1987 - reaching the top 40 in the UK and the US.
But her big breakthrough hit came in 1990 - power ballad Nothing Compares 2 U topped the charts in 13 countries.
The music video - featuring a close-up on Sinead's face singing with tears rolling down her cheeks - is now thought of as one of the 20th century's most iconic videos.
Sinead said her tears in the video were genuine and that she was thinking about her mother while using the bel canto singing technique that helps express emotion.
It was her version of a song written by Prince for his side-project, 1980s band The Family.
She won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance in 1990. but the singer boycotted the awards ceremony.
The star went on to release eight more albums, the most recent being 2014's I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss.
In September 2019 she sang Nothing Compares 2 U on Ireland's RTE's Late Late Show in a hijab, with the performance quickly becoming the most-watched in the history of the show.
It garnered 1.6million plays on the RTE Twitter account by September 12, with another 800,000 plays on YouTube.
In October 2018, Sinead, who was ordained a priest by a Catholic sect during the 1990s, announced she had converted to Islam, and changed her name to Shuhada’ Davitt.
The singer tweeted a picture of herself wearing a hijab and told fans: "This is to announce that I am proud to have become a Muslim.
"This is the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian's journey.
"All scripture study leads to Islam. Which makes all other scriptures redundant.
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"I will be given (another) new name. It will be Shuhada."
Sinead changed her name last year to Magda Davitt, saying in an interview that she wanted to be "free of parental curses".
