Sinéad O’Connor’s Last Words: ‘Desperation & Despair’ In Her Final Texts
Gone from us so soon. Sinéad O’Connor’s last words will be held dearly in her fans’ hearts. The musician died on July 26, 2023. The Irish Times was the first outlet to report that O’Connor had passed, with a statement from her family that read: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
Born on December 8, 1966, Sinéad Marie Bernadette O’Connor—later to become Shuhada’ Sadaqat when she converted to Islam in 2018—released her debut album in 1987, The Lion and The Cobra. It charted internationally and was followed by her second album I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got would become her biggest success with the single ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, written by Prince. O’Connor (she would maintain this as her stage name) would go on to make 10 studio albums across her career, the last of which was released in 2014 titled I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss.
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The Irish singer was active on social media—posting her wisdom on Twitter and Facebook. Here’s what Sinéad O’Connor’s last words were on Twitter.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available. Call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free and confidential counseling.
What were Sinéad O’Connor’s last words?
What were Sinéad O’Connor’s last words? Days before her death, the “Drink Before War” singer posted a tribute to her late son, Shane Lunny. “Been living as undead night creature since,” his death, she wrote on a now-deleted Twitter account. “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. I am lost in the bardo without him.” She also posted the song “Chenrezi” in tribute, writing, “For all mothers of Suicided children. Great Tibetan Compassion Mantra”.
On January 9, 2024, the coroner’s report finally concluded she died at 56 of “natural causes”. The court added that they have now ceased their involvement in O’Connor’s death.
In January 2022, O’Connor’s 17-year-old son (custody of whom she’d lost in 2013) had gone missing after being on suicide watch at Tallaght Hospital. His body was recovered several days later. Officials reported that he died by suicide. “My beautiful son, Nevi’im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God,” O’Connor wrote on social media in tribute to him at the time. “May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace.”
A week after Shane was found dead, O’Connor shared a troubling series of tweets that suggested she was planning on taking her own life. “I’ve decided to follow my son. There is no point living without him. Everything I touch, I ruin. I only stayed for him. And now he’s gone,” she wrote on an unverified Twitter account linked to her official account.
An hour later, she revealed she had admitted herself to the hospital. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I am with cops now on way to hospital. I’m sorry I upset everyone,” she posted, adding: “I am lost without my kid and I hate myself. Hospital will help a while. But I’m going to find Shane. This is just a delay.”
Bob Geldof performed in Cavan Calling festival on the weekend of July 29, 2023 and called Sinead his “very good friend” as he made a tribute to her on stage. “She meant a lot to everybody, she meant a lot to us,” he said to the audience. “Her voice represented her soul and spirit. And whenever we hear that, we will always be with a great woman.” Bob added, “There’s no other option, as all of you know, than to just keep on. Many, many times Sinead was full of a terrible loneliness and a terrible despair.”
He revealed his last texts to her“We were talking right up to a couple of weeks ago. Some of her texts were laden with desperation and despair and sorrow and some were ecstatically happy,” Bob said to the fans, according to the Daily Mail. “She was like that.”
Weeks before her death, She also posted on Facebook that she was going to make more music soon and eventually tour. “Hi All, recently moved back to London after 23 years absence. Very happy to be home : ) Soon finishing my album. Release early next year : )” she wrote on July 11. “Hopefully Touring Australia and New Zealand toward end 2024. Europe, USA and other territories beginning early 2025 : ) #TheBitchIsBack,” she wrote.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available. Call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free and confidential counseling.
Sinéad O’Connor Tributes
In the wake of her death, many celebrities made tributes to Sinéad O’Connor. Alanis Morrisette posted on Instagram, “Sinead was a profound inspiration to many. And to me. Her passion, poetry, and unapologetic expression raised the bar on artistry and female empowerment. Her questioning of societal norms deeply influenced culture’s appreciation of female complexity. Her ability to vulnerably dwell on the small part of the bell-shaped curve was thought provoking, stirring and inspiring. I’m feeling empathy for Ireland, for the world, and for all of us who are saddened by this news.”
Irish mixed-martial artist 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 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 ???? pic.twitter.com/9hvpwxuUyP
— Conor McGregor (@TheNotoriousMMA) July 26, 2023
Jamie Lee Curtis posted on “ Instagram: “I once heard Sìnead sing acappella in an empty chapel in Ireland. It was under construction at the private home of our host. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard in my life. We then went together to see Eminem at a festival. I loved her. Her music. Her life. She was a victim of child abuse and a huge change agent for unfair and unjust draconian laws that she helped change in Ireland. She was a warrior. She was a rebel. She ripped up a photograph that was on her mother’s wall because of the hypocrisy of the abusive life she was raised in under the banner of the church. This is so sad. Watch the NOTHING COMPARES documentary. Brilliant. Heartbreaking. Rest well. Rest in power. Rest in peace.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available. Call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free and confidential counseling.
Rememberings: Scenes from My Complicated Life
Rememberings by Sinead O’Connor
Blessed with a singular voice and a fiery temperament, Sinéad O’Connor rose to massive fame in the late 1980s and 1990s with a string of gold records. By the time she was twenty, she was world-famous—living a rock star life out loud. From her trademark shaved head to her 1992 appearance on Saturday Night Live when she tore up Pope John Paul II’s photograph, Sinéad has fascinated and outraged millions. In Rememberings, O’Connor recounts her painful tale of growing up in Dublin in a dysfunctional, abusive household. Inspired by a brother’s Bob Dylan records, she escaped into music. She relates her early forays with local Irish bands; we see Sinéad completing her first album while eight months pregnant, hanging with Rastas in the East Village, and soaring to unimaginable popularity with her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2U.”
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