Sinéad ‘died of natural causes’, declares coroner in London
SINÉAD O’Connor died of natural causes, a London coroner announced yesterday.
The singer, 56, was found ‘unresponsive’ after police were called to her flat in Herne Hill, southeast London, in July last year.
Detectives did not treat the Dubliner’s sudden death as suspicious and yesterday officials ruled she had died of natural causes.
A spokesman for Southwark Coroners Court told the Mail: ‘This is to confirm that Ms O’Connor died of natural causes. The coroner has therefore ceased their involvement in her death.
‘No further comments will be made.’
Following her death in July of last year, London Inner South Coroner’s Court said that an autopsy would be carried out as no medical cause of death was given. The coroner has now stated that she died of natural causes.
Sinéad died 18 months after her son Shane, 17, died by suicide in January 2022 after escaping hospital.
In her last tweet, the mother-offour posted a photo of Shane and said: ‘Been living as undead night creature since. He was the love of
‘We were one soul in two halves’
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.’
In possibly the last footage of her ever released, Sinéad posted a video on social media from her home in London ten days before her death speaking about the effect Shane’s death had on her physically and mentally, saying: ‘It isn’t good for one’s body, or soul to be fair.’
In a new documentary titled Sinéad which aired on RTÉ on Monday, Belfast musician and producer David Holmes said that the singer ‘died of a broken heart’ following the death of Shane.
The news of Sinéad’s cause of death comes as a joint tribute concert for both her and Shane MacGowan – who died in November – was announced for New York City’s Carnegie Hall in March.
The one-night-only show called Sinéad & Shane at Carnegie Hall will be a celebration of both their lives. Artists such as Glen Hansard, David Gray, Mountain Goats, Cat Power, and Dropkick Murphys are set to cover a number of Sinéad’s and The Pogues’ frontman’s songs. They recorded the song Haunted together in 1995.
News of Sinéad’s death began to emerge after police were called to her home in the SE24 area of London just before 11am on July 26 of last year.
The singer had just moved back to London at the start of July – calling the city her ‘home’ – and described her hope and excitement at seeing the ballet and writing new songs in the days before she died.
She also wrote on Facebook that she wanted to go on tour the following year in a buoyant post two weeks before her death, declaring: ‘The b **** is back.’
Tributes poured in for the singer after her death was announced in July 2022.
President Michael D Higgins praised her ‘extraordinarily beautiful, unique voice’ and said he hoped ‘her spirit [may] find the peace she sought in so many different ways’.
He said: ‘May I send my deepest condolences to Sinéad O’Connor’s father John, the members of her family and to all those with whom she shared her life.
‘My first reaction on hearing the news of Sinéad’s loss was to remember her extraordinarily beautiful, unique voice. What was striking in all of the recordings she made and in all of her appearances was the authenticity of the performance, while her commitment to the delivery of the song and its meaning was total.
‘To those of us who had the privilege of knowing her, one couldn’t but always be struck by the depth of her fearless commitment to the important issues which she brought to public attention, no matter how uncomfortable those truths may have been.
‘What Ireland has lost at such a relatively young age is one of our greatest and most gifted composers, songwriters and performers of recent decades, one
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who had a unique talent and extraordinary connection with her audience, all of whom held such love and warmth for her.’
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said her music ‘was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare’.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said that he was ‘devastated’ to hear of O’Connor’s passing.
He added: ‘One of our greatest musical icons, and someone deeply loved by the people of Ireland, and beyond.
‘Our hearts goes out to her children, her family, friends and all who knew and loved her.’