by Shazrina Sofia
LONDON, 1 August 2023: Renowned singer, songwriter, and political activist Shuhada’ Sadaqat, known professionally as Sinéad O'Connor, 56, was found dead in her residence at Herne Hill, South London, last Wednesday.
The news is announced by her family members “with great sadness”, but the time and cause of her death are not disclosed to the public. The police have announced that it is believed that her passing is not unnatural, and her autopsy results will be released in several weeks.
Fans and friends mourned her death and flooded social media platforms such as Twitter with tributes to the singer. Kathryn Ferguson, a Belfast filmmaker working on a documentary about Sadaqat entitled “Nothing Compares”, mentioned how the news of Sadaqat’s passing had devastated her.
“Our film was really, for me, a love letter to Sinéad. It was made over many years, and it was made because of the impact she'd had on me as a young girl growing up in Ireland. She is one of the most radical and incredible musicians that we've had. And we were very, very lucky to have had her.” Ferguson told BBC Radio 4’s Front Row.
Two weeks before her passing, the singer mentioned how she would soon be finishing her album. David Holmes, Sadaqat’s producer, talked about her being one song away from completing “No Veteran Dies Alone”, her “emotional and really personal” new album of eight tracks. The new album would be a comeback album since “I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss”, which was released in 2014.
The well-loved singer was known for her version of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”, which brought her fame and multiple awards, from three MTV Video Music Awards to a Grammy.
One of the most remarkable moments of her activism was on the 3rd October 1992, during the live television programme Saturday Live Performance, where Sadaqat ripped up a photograph of Pope John Paul II after singing an altered version of Bob Marley’s “War”, leaving behind the message: “Fight the real enemy”, alluding to the ongoing sexual abuse within the Catholic Church.
Sadaqat is survived by her three children, Jake Reynolds, Roisin Waters and Yeshua Bonadio. May Sadaqat rest in peace and find herself placed amongst the angels of Heaven for her legacy.***
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