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Irish singer and activist Sinéad O'Connor died of natural causes, says London coroner

Irish singer and political activist Sinéad O'Connor died of natural causes, a coroner's office in London, England, confirmed to CBC News on Tuesday.

Singer died at the age of 56 in July

A singer in headscarf sings in front of a mic on stage.
Irish singer and activist Sinéad O'Connor performs on stage at Akvarium Klub in Budapest, Hungary, on Dec. 9, 2019. O'Connor died on July 26 of natural causes, according to a London coroner. (Marton Monus/The Associated Press)

Irish singer and political activist Sinéad O'Connor died of natural causes, a coroner's office in London, England, confirmed to CBC News on Tuesday.

O'Connor was found unresponsive at a home in southeast London on July 26. She was 56.

The Inner South London coroner's office did not give further details. CBC News has reached out to the Lambeth Register Office for more information.

The singer rose to fame in the 1990s with a hit recording of Prince's Nothing Compares 2 U and became known for her outspoken political activism and mental health struggles.

O'Connor was public about her mental illness and was hospitalized after her teenage son, Shane, died by suicide in 2022.

A crowd of people surround a hearse during a funeral procession.
A hearse carrying the coffin of O'Connor passes outside her former home during her funeral procession as fans line the street to say their last goodbye to her in Bray, Ireland, on Aug. 8. (Clodagh Kilcoyne/Reuters)

A lifelong non-conformist, O'Connor was known for her outspoken political and cultural stances and fierce criticism of the Roman Catholic Church, long before allegations of sexual abuse in the clergy were widely reported.

Thousands of fans lined the streets of Bray, the Irish town she had called home, during a funeral procession in August. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar attended, along with U2's Bono.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jenna Benchetrit is the senior business writer for CBC News. She writes stories about Canadian economic and consumer issues, and has also recently covered U.S. politics. A Montrealer based in Toronto, Jenna holds a master's degree in journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University. You can reach her at jenna.benchetrit@cbc.ca.

With files from The Associated Press