Sinéad O’Connor gave us great hits like her album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got and, undoubtedly, her death has left a huge wound in the music world.
In addition to representing Ireland within the industry, the singer starred in some events that today are considered part of the history of music, although at the time were controversial protests and rebellions. The most talked about was when she broke the photograph of Pope John Paul II during a live show.
Sinéad O’Connor Ripped a Photo of Pope John Paul II on Live TV
During her appearance on Saturday Night Live, Sinéad O’Connor surprised the show when she decided to sing a cappella version of Bob Marley’s song “War,” instead of a song from her recent album at the time. The singer’s performance was intense as she changed some of the original lyrics to speak specifically about child abuse.
By the end of her performance, O’Connor, who was 26 at the time, held up a photograph of the Pope and, staring into the camera, tore it to shreds as she said, “Fight the real enemy.” The response from the majority of the American public was negative and forceful; in fact, they called for protests against the singer, threatened her, and even canceled several of her live shows.
However, sometime later, when thousands of cases of child abuse in Ireland and the United States finally came to light in the 2000s, the real purpose of the singer’s protest became much clearer to the public.
Sinéad O’Connor Suffered from Bipolar Disorder
The Irish singer dealt with mental illness from an early age after being a victim of abuse. She was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Sinéad O’Connor tried to take her own life on several occasions, mostly related to the loss of custody of her children and the death of one of them, Shane, who committed suicide in January 2022, at the age of 17.
O’Connor Converted to Islam
It was the singer herself who announced her conversion to Islam in 2018, although she was previously an ordained Catholic priestess. O’Connor also decided to change her name to Shuhada. “This is the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian’s journey. All scriptural study leads to Islam. Which makes all other scripture redundant,” the singer announced via her Twitter account.
So far, the cause of Sinéad O’Connor’s death has not been revealed; however, there is no doubt that the Irish singer made history in and out of music.
This story was written in Spanish by Kate Nateras in Cultura Colectiva
