Irish singer Sinead O’Connor had a troubled childhood, opened up about mental health issues

Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor, known for her 1990 hit “Nothing Compares 2 U", has died at the age of 56, her family announced on Wednesday. The cause of the singer’s death is not known.

O’Connor, born on December 8, 1966, had a difficult childhood — and faced mental health issues in her later life. The Irish singer, who shot to fame in her mid-20s, had shared that she was subjected to physical abuse by her mother, Johanna O’Grady. Her parents separated when she was eight years old.

In a 2017 interview with Phil McGraw (better known as Dr Phil), O’Connor said that her mother would kick her and tell her that she was evil. “And telling me I shouldn’t have been born. And the reason my father left is my fault,” the singer said.

She added that she never received “cuddles, love, kisses, sweet names, snuggles” from her mother. When asked what she loved about her mother, the singer responded, “The first thing that came to my mind is that she is dead, which is a very strange thing to come to my mind but what I love about my mother is that she is dead.”

According to the New York Post, O’Connor ran away from her house at the age of 13. But her problems did not end there. She had to spend 18 months in an asylum after being caught shoplifting.

O’Connor had four marriages and four children. She had her first child, Jake, with music producer John Reynolds in 1987. The two separated in 1989. Then, she got into a relationship with Irish journalist John Waters and welcomed a daughter, Roisin, in 1996. They parted ways and fought a legal battle for the custody of their child.

O’Connor was blessed with a son, Shane, in 2004, with folk singer Donal Lunny and had another baby, son Yeshua, in 2006, with Frank Bonadio. The singer’s fourth marriage was with therapist Barry Herridge and lasted for just around a week, the New York Post added.

O’Connor had opened up in public about her mental health struggles. In a 2007 interview, she shared that she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder four years ago — and tried to kill herself on her 33rd birthday in 1999. However, seven years later, the singer said that she got three further opinions suggesting that she was not bipolar, according to Variety.

O’Connor posted a Facebook video in 2017 from a New Jersey motel where she had been living, saying that she was staying alive for the sake of others and that if it were up to her, she’d be “gone”, according to news agency AP. And when her teenage son Shane died by suicide last year, O’Connor tweeted there was “no point living without him” and she was soon hospitalised, the report added.

On July 17, she sent out her final tweet that read: “For all mothers of Suicided children.” She also posted a link to a Tibetan compassion mantra.

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