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Did Sinéad die of a broken heart — and was her surgical menopause a contributing factor?
“Maybe the opposite is true, that everyone else hasn’t let themselves get close enough. That they aren’t invested enough, and that empathy has been snuffed out by false neutrality.” -Allyson McCabe in Why Sinéad O’Connor Matters
On Wednesday, July 26, 2023, the world woke to the news that Sinéad O’Connor’s spirit had left us that morning at the far-too-young age of 56. The London Metropolitan police found her unresponsive and declared the death was not being treated as suspicious although that did not stop the rumors from flying. Sinéad had long spoken openly about her struggles with mental illness and the complex PTSD she suffered as a result of the horrific abuse she endured as a child. Yet, she also had a history of recognizing and seeking out help when she was at risk and had made it clear to her fans she had, at least, 8 Good Reasons as a mother and as a lifelong public warrior for peace and justice, to continue to live and sing. She was in the middle of making another album and was excited about a 2024 tour.
Could it be, instead, that Sinéad died of a broken heart? One put in jeopardy, perhaps, by the mismanagement of her endometriosis and her immediate plunge into surgical menopause?