Sinéad O'Connor's cause of death revealed a year after her passing

TW: mentions of suicide, mental illness, abuse

After decades of a successful career, Sinéad O'Connor passed away at the age of 56 on 26 July 2023. The singer had been through a very rough patch since her 17-year-old son Shane took his own life last year.

Since her son's suicide, Sinéad O'Connor had been struggling with her grief, which came after years of battling her own mental health issues, including bipolar disorder, depression, and PTSD as a result of abuse she suffered from her mother throughout her childhood. In an interview with the Independent in 2005, she also opened up about trying to take her own life.

Sinéad O'Connor's death at 56

On 26 July 2023, Sinéad O'Connor's family released a statement to the BBC and to Irish broadcaster RTEannouncing the singer's death. In the statement, the family said they were 'devastated' and asked for privacy.

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.

An official cause of death was not revealed following her passing but on January 2024 London's Southwark Coroners Court concluded that O'Connor died of natural causes. Now, a year later, the details of her death certificate have been publicised.

As reported by the Irish Independent, the exact cause of death that has been recorded on her certificate is:

exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma together with low grade lower respiratory tract infection.

The singer was suffering from lung disease, asthma, and a respiratory infection when she passed away.

This puts an end to the speculation that her death had to do with her history of mental illness and the loss of her son Shane in 2022. Indeed, the singer had been hospitalized just days after his suicide, following an alarming series of tweets claiming she wanted to kill herself to join him.

I am lost without my kid and I hate myself. Hospital will help a while. But I’m going to find Shane. This is just a delay.

The singer had struggled with mental illness for years

Sinéad O'Connor was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2003. Four years later, she talked about her struggles with mental illness in an interview with Oprah Winfrey.

It’s like being a bucket with holes in it. Just leaking tears from every pore.

She explained she had experienced suicidal thoughts before her diagnosis, and was taking medication which helped but that she was still a 'work in progress'.

I’m not going to sit here and claim that I’m kind of perfect or anything. Anything is an improvement when you’ve been in desolation ... to be out of that place is brilliant. It doesn’t mean you don’t have lumps and bumps.

The Irish singer was very open about her struggles, and encouraged her fans to be as well. In an emotional video from 2017, she urged her fans to look after their loved-ones who might be struggling, and she argued that her family had abandoned her.

If you have a family member that suffers from mental illness, care for them, tenderness, love, care for them. Visit them in the hospital, don’t dump them in the hospital and bugger off.

Sinéad O'Connor also suffered from PTSD as a consequence of the abuse she endured from her mother during her childhood. She also suffered from endometriosis, which comes with physical and mental suffering.

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Sources used:

Today: Late Sinéad O’Connor was open with mental health struggles, bipolar disorder diagnosis

Independent: Sinéad O'Connor: Talks exclusively about suicide and redemption

BBC: Sinéad O'Connor: Irish singer dies aged 56

Irish Independent: Detail of Sinéad O’Connor’s cause of death revealed on the first anniversary of her passing