adminLONDON. – Tributes have poured in for “radical and incredible” Sinéad O’Connor after the Irish singer’s death at 56.
She had a voice that “cracked stone”, said English musician Alison Moyet, while British band Massive Attack spoke of the “fire in her eyes”.
English musician Jah Wobble told the BBC the singer and activist had “the essence of a Celtic female warrior”.
Her family announced the death “with great sadness” on Wednesday. The cause of death was not made public.
A file will be prepared for the Coroner.
The Grammy-winning singer shot to international stardom in 1990 with the hit ballad Nothing Compares 2 U, and released 10 studio albums between 1987 and 2014.
As a teenager in Dublin, she was placed in one of the notorious former Magdalene laundries, originally set up to incarcerate young girls deemed to be promiscuous.
In 1992 she faced controversy after ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul II on US TV show Saturday Night Live in protest against child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
She suffered personal tragedy in January last year when her 17-year-old son Shane was found dead.
In one of her final tweets, she called him “the love of my life, the lamp of my soul”.
Moyet paid tribute to O’Connor’s “astounding presence” and voice that “cracked stone with force by increment”.
“As beautiful as any girl around and never traded on that card. I loved that about her. Iconoclast,” she said on social media.
“Devastated,” Massive Attack said. “Honestly, to bear witness to her voice, intimacy in the studio. On the road every single person stopped – dropped their tools during soundtrack. The fire in her eyes made you understand that her activism was a soulful reflex and not a political gesture.” – BBC.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter