Sinéad O’Connor dead at 56: Police refer to Coroner with autopsy results expected in ‘several weeks’

NZ Herald

27 Jul, 2023 08:13 PM3 mins to read

Irish singer and songwriter Sinéad O'Connor passed away at age 56 yesterday. Photo / Getty Images

One day after the shock death of Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor, police have released details surrounding the circumstances of her passing.

In a statement released by the Metropolitan Police, officers said after being found “unresponsive” at her London home, the troubled star, 56, was declared dead at the scene when police arrived.

Despite there being no obvious medical cause for her death, it is not being treated as suspicious.

The statement read: “Police were called at 11:18hrs on Wednesday, July 26, to reports of an unresponsive woman at a residential address in the SE24 area. Officers attended. A 56-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor in 1989. Photo / AP

“Next of kin have been notified. The death is not being treated as suspicious. A file will be prepared for the Coroner.”

Daily Mail has reported that the post-mortem examination results will likely be “several weeks” away, with a statement on the London Inner South Coroner’s Court website stating that the decision on whether an inquest will be needed will be decided when these results are known and submissions have been heard from the family.

It continued to say that if an inquest is opened, a date for the brief public hearing will be noted on their website.

Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor's death is not being treated as suspicious. Photo / AP

O’Connor’s death was confirmed by the Irish Times yesterday morning (NZT), with her family releasing a statement shortly after.

“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,” the family said in a statement.

In memory of the Grammy-winning singer, many have shared their touching moments with the star including actor Russell Crowe, who shared his tribute in a tweet yesterday.

“In a conversation without fences we roamed through the recent Dublin heatwave, local politics, American politics, the ongoing fight for indigenous recognition in many places, but particularly in Australia, her warm memory of New Zealand, faith, music, movies and her brother the writer,” he wrote.

“I had the opportunity to tell her she was a hero of mine.”

The Dublin-born performer released 10 studio albums, while her song Nothing Compares 2 U (originally written by Prince) was named the number one world single in 1990 by the Billboard Music Awards.