Sinead O’Connor’s Death ‘Not Being Treated As Suspicious,’ Police Say – Hollywood Life

Singer Sinead O'Connor poses in New York, . O'Connor released her first full-length album since "Universal Mother" in 1994. O'Connor says she isn't the firebrand she once was and the songs on her new Atlantic Records CD "Faither and Courage" reflect a new serenity
Sinead O'Connor, New York, USA

SINEAD O'CONNOR
JOHN ROCHA FASHION SHOW - 1994

Sinead O’Connor‘s sudden death has been addressed by the police in the U.K., which is where the Irish singer passed away at the age of 56. A Scotland Yard spokesperson told PEOPLE that Sinead’s death “is not being treated as suspicious.” The cause of death has not been revealed since Sinead’s passing was confirmed by her family on Wednesday, July 26. Sinead struggled with mental health issues leading up to her death.

Furthermore, the Scotland Yard spokesperson told PEOPLE that “a 56-year-old woman was pronounced dead” at a property in South London on July 26. They also said, “Next of kin have been notified. A file will be prepared for the Coroner.” The Metropolitan Police told PEOPLE that “police were called at 11:18hrs on Wednesday, 26 July to reports of an unresponsive woman at a residential address in the SE24 area.”

Sinead’s family released a statement mourning the “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer when they confirmed she died. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time,” they said in a statement to The Irish Times. The family did not disclose how Sinead died in their statement.

Before her passing, Sinead was dealing with various health battles, including bipolar disorder. “I don’t think I was born with bipolar disorder—I believe it was created as a result of the violence I experienced,” she said on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 2007. Sinead explained that her being a global superstar made her struggles that much worse. “It didn’t really help in terms of being well or a stable person the fact that I really was getting kicked around, metaphorically speaking, by the media for years,” she said on Oprah’s show.

In November 2020, Sinead postponed her 2021 tour and entered a year-long treatment for trauma and addiction. “I had a very traumatic six years, and this year was the end of it, but now recovery starts,” she tweeted at the time. Sinead further said that the music industry is “a very unforgiving place for artists who need to postpone due to emotional or mental health issues.”

Sinead was also deeply entrenched in grief over the loss of her late son Shane, who died by suicide at 17 in January 2022. Sinead expressed sadness over her child’s suicide exactly nine days before she died. “Been living as undead night creature since,” she wrote via Twitter on July 17. “He was the love of 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.”