Sinéad O’Connor has reportedly died at the age of 56, according to her family.

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad,” the family said in a statement. “Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”

The Irish-born singer began her singing career in 1987 with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra, selling more than 2 million records worldwide. O’Connor’s second album release in 1990 caught fire worldwide, charting No. 1 in dozens of countries, including the U.S. Billboard 200.

Best known for her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” for which she won three Grammy Awards, O’Connor hit her stride in the 1990s musically and often found herself in the midst of controversy. On more than one occasion, O’Connor was critical of the Irish Catholic church and the sexual abuse surrounding it, calling the Vatican a “nest of devils,” in an interview with the Guardian, and once tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II while a guest on Saturday Night Live. Days later after the SNL incident, O’Connor was to perform at a Bob Dylan anniversary concert, but was booed off stage by an unrelenting crowd.

 

O’Connor is survived by her three children and no cause of death has been revealed as of this writing.

 

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