Sinéad O’Connor, acclaimed Dublin singer, dies aged 56

Sinéad O'Connor, the outspoken Irish singer-songwriter known for her powerful, evocative voice, as showcased on her biggest hit, a breathtaking rendition of Prince's “Nothing Compares 2 U,” and for her political provocations onstage and off, has died. She was 56.

Born in Dublin in 1966, O’Connor spoke often of her difficult childhood as the third of four children. Her mother, she said, was troubled and abusive.

Sent away to reform school as a teen after she was caught shoplifting, O’Connor turned to music for solace and was discovered at the age of 15 by the drummer for the band In Tua Nua while singing at a wedding.

Her first album, “The Lion and the Cobra,” was released to acclaim in 1987, but it was O’Connor’s sophomore album, “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got” which broke her through as a well-known artist.

Her rendition of the Prince song “Nothing Compares 2 U” shot to No. 1 in 1990 and was nominated for multiple Grammys.