Remembering Sinéad O’Connor: A Powerful Voice, A Powerful Legacy
A personal tribute to a wickedly talented performer and an authentic, messy human
Sinéad O’Connor died this week. And a part of me died too.
That may sound melodramatic — I never knew the angelic singer personally. And yet, I feel like I did.
It’s always sad to hear of artists who die too young. We grow up along with them, and their films, TV shows, songs, and books leave an indelible imprint on our lives. But aside from Robin Williams and River Phoenix, I haven’t felt personal grief over the deaths of celebrities.
I cried ugly tears when Williams took his own life. I mourned Phoenix, my first celebrity crush, and the immense sea of talent he still had to pour into the world. But Sinéad O’Connor’s sudden death feels like a part of me is gone, too.
The legacy of Sinéad O’Connor and the famous torn photo
“I’m not sorry I did it. It was brilliant. But it was very traumatizing. It was open season on treating me like a crazy bitch.”
–Sinéad O’Connor, in a 2021 interview with the New York Times, on the fallout from her protest against child abuse in the Catholic Church
