Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor has passed away, her family announced the news of her death on Wednesday.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are shaken and ask for understanding in this very difficult time for them," the singer's family informed, however, the announcement does not specify the cause of death.
The acclaimed Dublin entertainer has released 10 studio albums, and her song Nothing Compares 2 U was chosen as the world's number one single by the Billboard Music Awards in 1990. The ballad, which is believed to have caused a few tears in every corner of the world, was originally written by Prince, but Sinéad took it to the top of the charts worldwide and earned it a Grammy nomination. In that year (we wrote 1991), the prestigious Rolling Stone magazine chose the singer with a sweet voice as the performer of the year, who also received the Classic Irish Album award at the RTÉ Choice Music Awards earlier this year.
Michael D Higgins, the President of Ireland, said in relation to the news of the death: his first reaction to the news of Sinéad's loss was to recall the singer's "extremely beautiful, unique voice".
"For those who were lucky enough to know him, one could not help but be struck by how deeply and fearlessly he committed himself to the important issues he brought to the public, no matter how uncomfortable those truths were," he said.
"Ireland has lost at a relatively young age one of the greatest and most talented composers, songwriters and entertainers of recent decades, who possessed a unique talent and an extraordinary connection with his audiences, who all treated him with such love and warmth...May his soul find the peace he sought in so many ways" - said the head of state.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar expressed his grief in a post on social media: “His music was loved by the whole world and his talent was unmatched and beyond compare. My condolences to his family, friends and everyone who loved his music," Varadkar wrote.
Other high-ranking officials in Ireland also commemorated the death of the pop icon, who in his life was rather restless, constantly rebellious, and did not find peace in his private life, even though he gave birth to four children - the oldest of them committed suicide last year, and his mother was never able to recover from his death.
