Sinead O'Connor: Life and times of di 'Nothing Compares 2 U' singer wey die at di age of 56

Irish singer and activist Sinéad O'Connor don die at di age of 56.

Her most successful single na her 1990 cover of di Prince song Nothing Compares 2 U.

E top charts around di world and feature for her Grammy-winning album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got.

She bin get a up and down childhood and dem later diagnose her with bi-polar disorder and she speak openly about her struggles with her mental health

O'Connor bin dey outspoken on subjects ranging from religion to women's rights and racism.

Who be Sinead O'Connor

Sinéad O'Connor see music as di therapy to escape her tough childhood.

Her rebellious nature bin dey mainly driven by her resentment at di abuse she suffer as a child and her experience for a Dublin reformatory.

Na her music rescue her, releasing a creative talent wey make her a worldwide music star - but also a rebel wey bin dey prepared to be controversial and never play di game of being an image-led pop star.

With her striking features and skinhead look she be one of pop music most recognisable figures.

Dem born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966 for di Glenageary suburb of Dublin.

She be di third of five children of Sean O'Connor and im wife Marie. Di couple wey marry young separate wen O'Connor was eight.

Her brother, Joseph, bin once describe dia mother as deeply unhappy and disturbed and bin dey physical and emotional abuse her children.

O'Connor eventually move out to go live with her father but she often dey tiff tins for shops.

Dem eventually place am for Dublin An Grianan Training Centre, wey once be di notorious Magdalene laundries, wey dem originally set up to hold young girls wey dem see as promiscuous.

One nun discover say di only way to keep di rebellious teenager in check na by buying her a guitar and setting her up with a music teacher. Na im save her.

She bin get four children, one of whom - Shane - take im own life at di age of 17 for 2022.

Di controversies including wen she tear Pope John Paul II foto

But controversy bin never dey far away. She refuse to perform for one concert venue for New Jersey unless dem drop dia normal practice of playing di US national anthem before she went on.

Di venue reluctantly agree but e lead to a boycott of her songs by a number of US radio stations.

A month after di release of I'm Not Your Girl, a collection of jazz standards, O'Connor perform one version of Bob Marley War on NBC Saturday Night Live, substituting some of di words so e become a protest against child sexual abuse for di Catholic Church.

To di horror of di producers, she bin hold up a foto of Pope John Paul II to di camera and tear am into half. NBC receive more dan 4,000 complaints from viewers and many destroy copies of her records.

For a live appearance afta dat, dem boo her so much she bin no fit perform. At di end of 1992 she return to live for Dublin.

Her ordination as priest and conversion to Islam

Afta she separate from her husband, she enta a long custody battle with di journalist John Waters, wey be di father of her second child, Roisin. Di stress cause her to attempt suicide for 1999.

In one of di strange tori of her life, dem ordain her as a priest for di Latin Tridentine Church, wey be independent Catholic church, wey no dey in communion with Rome. Despite her dislike for di Church hierarchy, O'Connor always maintain say she be practising Christian and devout Catholic.

She go back to studio for 2000 to record di album Faith and Courage. E fail to break into di Top 20 in all but di Australian album charts.

She get a brief second marriage with journalist Nick Summerlad before she born her third child, Shane, with di musician Donal Lunny.

Her 2002 album Sean-Nos Nua feature a reworking of traditional Irish folk songs. A year later she release a compilation of tracks and demos wey pipo bin never hear before, before she announce say she dey retire from music.

Both her mental and physical health bin dey suffering, She bin dey diagnosed with bipolar disorder, she bin also battle di painful condition of fibromyalgia.

Her small time for Jamaica result in her seventh studio album, Throw Down Your Arms, di reggae-flavoured work wey get positive reviews.

She give birth to her fourth child, Yeshua Francis Bonadio for 2006, wit her den partner Frank Bonadio. Di following year, she release anoda album, Theology. E no make di charts.

Public 'fight' with Miley Cyrus

A third marriage for 2010 to her long-time friend Steve Cooney last less dan a year.

She come back to musical form with How About I Be Me (and You Be You) released for 2012, wey reach number five for Ireland and 33 for di UK charts.

She get public disagreement with singer Miley Cyrus for 2013 afta O'Connor publish a letter on her website, criticising Cyrus for her sexual videos. Cyrus respond by describing O'Connor as "crazy".

O'Connor for 2014 release album, I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss.

But her mental health bin still no stable. For November 2015, afta she recover from hysterectomy, she post message on Facebook announcing say she dey one Irish hotel and dey contemplate suicide. Dem bin find her safe and well and she receive medical treatment.

Converting to Islam for 2018, she change her name to Shuhada' Sadaqat, but continue to dey perform under her birth name.

She release one memoir, Rememberings, for June 2021 and take part in media interviews to promote am.

Sheget more trauma for January 2022, wen her 17-year-old son Shane take im own life. Di musician post some concerning tweets afta im death, indicating she dey consider suicide and telling followers dem admit her to hospital.

Sinéad O'Connor na talent wey use music as a means of dealing with di demons inside her. A contradictory figure in many ways, she bin always refuse to follow di establishment line, something wey make her achieve less success dan she deserve.

Di singer though bin dey unapologetic and unrepentant for those life choices. "I always say, if you live with di devil, you find out say god dey."