Sinéad O'Connor died of natural causes

Famed singer and activist Sinéad O’Connor’s cause of death was just revealed by a London coroner’s office. “Ms. O’Connor died of natural causes,” the coroner said in a statement on Tuesday (per The New York Times). The office also added that they had “therefore ceased their involvement in her death.” No further details were provided.

O’Connor died this past July at the age of 56. While as an artist, O’Connor is best known for her popular ‘90s cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” she was also a staunch and outspoken fighter of the world’s many injustices. In The A.V. Club’s obituary this past summer, Mary Kate Carr wrote:

O’Connor made perhaps an even greater cultural impact in her outspoken political statements, some of which became so legendary that they may have overshadowed her art. In the early 1990s, she made waves for withdrawing from an appearance on Saturday Night Live because of the episode’s controversial host, Andrew Dice Clay. Later, and even more memorably, she was banned from the show entirely for ripping up a picture of Pope John Paul II during her performance, as a form of protest about child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Despite facing intense backlash time and again for the way she used her platform, she continued to be vocal about her principles throughout the entirety of her career, from turning down a Grammy in 1991 to dedicating her 2023 RTÉ Choice Music Award win to Ireland’s refugee community. “You’re very welcome in Ireland. I love you very much and I wish you happiness,” she said at the ceremony (per The Irish Times).

In the wake of her death, a slew of artists and fans from around the world expressed their respect and their sadness. Russell Crowe called her a “hero of mine” and Morrissey wrote, “She was a challenge, and she couldn’t be boxed-up, and she had the courage to speak when everyone else stayed safely silent.” Recently, there has also been a resurgent interest in O’Connor’s music along with her legacy.