Fellow Musicians Pay Tribute To Late Sinéad O’Connor

It's no secret that O'Connor had struggled her whole life with mental health issues. She was very outspoken about the abuse she endured by both parents, both emotional and physical, in interviews and elsewhere. In a letter she wrote in 1993 to The Irish Times, O'Connor implied her lack of self-esteem hindered her vocal performance, and that she'd sing better if she could find it (wikipedia.org). A surprising thing to hear, considering she is thought of as one of the most unique voices in music history.

First was her smash hit Nothing Compares 2 U. Released in 1990 on her Second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, it was named the number one single in the world by Billboard Magazine. Even though the song was written by Prince, it was O'Connor's most successful single. It spent four weeks on the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified platinum in Austria and in the United Kingdom (wikipedia.org). It also was in heavy rotation on MTV, thanks to the deeply haunting video of O'Connor singing to the camera.

Of course, the second thing O'Connor was known for was her bold moment on Saturday Night Live. In October of 1992, O'Connor was the musical guest on the popular sketch comedy show. She sang an acapella version of Bob Marley's War. Marley's version of the song was to protest racism. O'Connor made it clear that she was protesting sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church. She did this by looking directly at the camera while tearing up a picture of Pope John Paul II. And then saying "fight the real enemy". She was forever banned from returning to SNL.

Whether it was for her beautiful music, her boldness in standing up for what she believed in, or something else, many celebrities have turned to social media to express their sadness by her loss. - Wendy Rush

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