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27th July 2023
07:43am BST
Sinead O'Connor's final social media post before her death, aged 56, was about the heartbreaking loss of her son, Shane.
The 17-year-old took his own life last year, days after going missing.
O'Connor's family announced the death of the multi-award-winning singer and activist on Thursday, and later released a statement to RTE: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead.
“Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
Attention soon turned to O'Connor's social media accounts where her past was about Shane.
The 'Nothing Compares to You' singer wrote alongside it: "Been living as undead night creature since. He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul."
In an emotional tweet last year, Sinead confirmed her son's sad passing.
"My beautiful son, Nevi’im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God. May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace," she wrote.
Before Shane was located, O'Connor urged people to help find her boy, and for him to make contact, writing: "Shane, your life is precious. God didn’t chisel that beautiful smile on your beautiful face for nothing. My world would collapse without you. You are my heart. Please don’t stop it from beating. Please don’t harm yourself.
"Go to the Gardai and let’s get you to hospital. This is a message for my son, Shane. Shane, it’s not funny any more all this going missing. You are scaring the crap out of me. Could you please do the right thing and present yourself at a Gardai station. If you are with Shane please call the Gardai for his safety."
Two days after the search began, police confirmed his body was found.
Shane's body was found in the Bray area of Wicklow on 7 January 2022.
O'Connor has three other children. She shares Jake Reynolds with her first husband John Reynolds; has a daughter, Rosin Waters, with Irish journalist John Waters, and Yeshua Francis Neil Bonadio, who she welcomed during her relationship with Frank Bonadio in 2006.
In a 2007 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Sinead O’Connor spoke of how she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and had coped with that, her whole life. She also admitted to attempting suicide on her 33rd birthday.
O'Connor was born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor in Dublin on 8 December 1966 and rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra before receiving internal acclaim in 1990 with a new arrangement of Prince's song 'Nothing Compares 2 U'.
After her parents divorced when she was eight, O’Connor claimed she was physically abused - which she detailed in her song " Fire on Babylon" and went on to advocate on behalf of abused children.
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