Sinead O’Connor’s Cause of Death Revealed One Year After Her Passing

In the words of unlikely ally Kris Kristofferson, Sinead O’Connor remained “too old for breaking and too young to tame” until the very end. Friday (July 26) marked one year since the Irish singer-songwriter died at age 56. While British authorities said in January that they did not suspect foul play in O’Connor’s death, how she died has never been clear—until now.

Sinead O’Connor Died From Respiratory Issues

Sinead O’Connor was unflinchingly honest about her mental health struggles. In January 2022, her 17-year-old son, Shane, died by suicide. Many speculated that the “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer’s mental health may have played a role in her own death. However, per TMZ, the Irish Independent reported Saturday (July 27) that O’Connor died from COPD — chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — exacerbated by bronchial asthma. Additionally, the GRAMMY winner had been suffering from a low-grade lower respiratory tract infection, which heightened her pre-existing conditions.

Police found O’Connor unresponsive in her south London home on July 26, 2023. Her former husband, John Reynolds, officially registered her cause of death this week in Lambeth, London.

When news of the “Mandinka” singer’s death broke, several musicians took to social media to honor the global superstar with the buzz cut and rabble-rousing public persona. Alanis Morissette remembered O’Connor as a “profound inspiration” and praised the activist’s “passion, poetry, and unapologetic expression.”

“Her questioning of societal norms deeply influenced culture’s appreciation of female complexity,” wrote the Jagged Little Pill singer. “Her ability to vulnerably dwell on the small part of the bell-shaped curve was thought provoking, stirring and inspiring.”

[RELATED: 4 of Sinéad O’Connor’s Surprising Moments in Country Music]

Remember When Kris Kristofferson Wrote a Song for Sinead?

Perhaps Amanda Petrusich said it best in The New Yorker: Sinead O’Connor “was never quiet about her pain, even when it would have been easier to swallow or evade it.” This quality would come to define her career, for better and for worse. It also gained her an unlikely ally in Kris Kristofferson. The country legend set his admiration for O’Connor to music with his 2009 song “Sister Sinead.”

It’s askin’ for trouble to stick out your neck / In terms of a target a big silhouette, Kristofferson wrote of his friend. But some candles flicker and some candles fade / And some burn as true as my sister Sinead.

Featured image by Alessandro Bosio/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire/Shutterstock