Sinéad O’Connor has left us.

The family of the era-defining Irish artist, songwriter, musician, activist, and icon — who changed her name to Shuhada Sadaqat in 2018 after accepting Islam, but continued to perform under her birth name — announced the singer's death at age 56 today with no further details. 

Arguably, none are necessary.

O’Connor was battered and belittled in life for saying too much. Her creative spirit rose above an early crucible of abuse and trauma, and as such, it infused everything she did. When she sang her demons into music, as on her inflammatory 1987 debut album, The Lion and the Cobra, she became a darling of the industry, which misconstrued her as a marketable rebel. But when O’Connor channeled that same energy in other, more righteous directions — say, the marginalization of Black artists in the music industry, or the unchecked hypocrisy of the Catholic Church — she endured a backlash whose magnitude is almost impossible to comprehend today.

O’Connor’s martyrdom has been well-covered over the decades, and as such, bears no repeating here. She lived long enough to witness a wholesale reconsideration of her legacy, with the release of her autobiography, “Rememberings,” in 2021, and a documentary, Nothing Compares, last year. But these felt like somewhat bitter and meaningless benedictions, and too late by half. O’Connor had moved on, pouring herself into touring and writing new music, as she had done since most folks stopped paying attention the first time.

“I could just be me. Do what I love. Be imperfect. Be mad, even,” she wrote in her autobiography.

More: Morning Becomes Eclectic: Sinéad O’Connor tribute playlist

Earlier this year, journalist Allyson McCabe wrote a book, “Why Sinéad O’Connor Matters,” which viewed O’Connor’s life through the lens of trauma and survivorship. 

“When I thought about who was going to read this book, it wasn't just for people who are fans of Sinéad,” McCabe said. “I really wanted people to feel like, whatever thing they've been holding, what if we all could be heard? What if we all could come out from those locked rooms? That's the way we heal together.”

For many, Sinéad opened a space for them to scream into the void, and thereby to heal.

We can only hope she’s found the same.

Revisit conversations with and about O’Connor on KCRW below.

Live on Morning Becomes Eclectic (1997) 

O’Connor visits Morning Becomes Eclectic on Aug. 14, 1997 shortly after the release of her EP Gospel Oak, which she calls “a set of answers” to the “prayers” of her past work. She talks with then-host Chris Douridas about the vitality of self-expression, busking as a teenager, and her evolving relationship with regret. 

Why Sinéad O’Connor’s story is everyone’s story

A moving conversation with KCRW’s Myke Dodge Weiskopf and journalist Allyson McCabe about McCabe’s book “Why Sinéad O’Connor Matters” and examining O’Connor’s life through the lens of trauma and survivorship.

‘Nothing Compares’ director on capturing Sinéad O’Connor’s truth

Kathryn Ferguson, director of the 2023 Showtime documentary Nothing Compares, discusses the singer’s life and legacy, and how she chose to reframe the narratives and misconceptions surrounding her for the film.