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Sinéad O’Connor’s cause of death revealed

The Irish music legend was found unresponsive at her London home on July 26 and pronounced dead at the scene

Staff Writer

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Sinéad O'Connor at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles on February 9, 2020. (Lindsey Best for the Washington Post/Getty Images)
Sinéad O'Connor at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles on February 9, 2020. (Lindsey Best for the Washington Post/Getty Images)

Sinéad O’Connor’s cause of death has been revealed.

The acclaimed Irish singer died on July 26 from natural causes, a coroner in London ruled on Monday. She was found unresponsive at her home in Herne Hill, South London, and pronounced dead at the age of 56. London’s Metropolitan Police reported at the time that O'Connor's death was not being treated as suspicious.

O’Connor rose to global acclaim amid the 1990s with her rendition of Prince’s megaballad “Nothing Compares 2 U.” She often spoke publicly about her struggles with mental health, and spotlighted several major issues — like child abuse, women’s rights and organized religion — both on and off stage. During a "Saturday Night Live" performance in 1992, O’Connor ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II to protest against the Catholic Church.

A private funeral for O’Connor was attended by singer Bob Geldof, U2’s Bono, Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar and Irish President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina, Ireland’s public broadcaster RTE reported. Several celebrities, including Janelle Monáe, Patton Oswalt, Jamie Lee Curtis and Toni Collette, paid tribute on social media.

By Joy Saha

Joy Saha is a staff writer at Salon. She writes about food news and trends and their intersection with culture. She holds a BA in journalism from the University of Maryland, College Park.

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