Sinéad O'Connor struggled with mental health issues throughout her life, but it was a pulmonary disease that eventually caused her death in July 2023. The 56-year-old singer lost her son, Shane, to suicide just a few months earlier.
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She was found dead in her London flat, and the news of her passing caused heartbreak throughout the world, as fans remembered her activism, as well as her bravery. Two years after the singer's death, her will has finally been revealed.
Sinéad O'Connor leaves her fortune to her family
According to The Sun, the Irish singer and activist left behind a fortune of £1.7 million. The sum was reduced to £1.4 million after taxes, funeral costs and legal fees. Over the course of her long career, Sinéad O'Connor sold approximately 6.2 million albums worldwide.
The official document was signed in 2013, ten years before her death, which was before she converted to Islam and changed her name to Shuhada' Sadaqat in 2018. The singer left instructions for her children and her ex-husband, John Reynolds, whom she named executor of her will. She wrote:
My children can dispense my ashes as they see fit.
The singer's will also included instructions on the clothes she wanted to be buried in, as well as some items she wanted to take to the afterlife with her. She wanted to be buried in priest clothing, with a Hebrew bible and her album Theology.
In true Sinéad O'Connor fashion, she also advised her children to use her music to make as much money as they could. She explained:
I direct that after my death, and at the discretion of any of my children who are then over 18, my albums are to be released so as to ‘milk it for what it’s worth’.
Who are Sinéad O'Connor's children?
Sinéad O'Connor left behind three surviving children when she suddenly passed away, but she gave birth to four children. The Irish singer married John Reynolds in 1987 and that same year, the couple welcomed their first child together, Jake, who is now a 38-year-old chef, and the proud father of a baby boy.
Sinéad O'Connor and John Reynolds got divorced in 1991, but they remained close for the sake of their son. In 1995, the singer welcomed her only daughter, Roisin, with journalist John Waters. Roisin Waters is now a 30-year-old singer and pastry chef.
In 2004, Sinéad O'Connor welcomed her third child, Shane Lunny, with Irish singer Dónal Lunny. In 2022, at the age of 17, Shane took his own life after going missing for a week. The singer announced her son's death on Twitter (now X), saying:
My beautiful son, Nevi'im Nesta Ali Shane O'Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God. May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace.
In 2006, the Irish singer welcomed her fourth and final son, Yeshua, with Frank Bonadio. Speaking about her youngest child, she described him as an 'incredible musician'. In 2021, she told People:
He's half American, so he's interested in going to college in America. His father is a scientist. So we'll see. But I would not be surprised if he got into music, because he likes money.
Read more:
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Sources used:
The Sun: TRAGIC STAR'S LEGACY Sinead O’Connor’s will finally revealed including huge sum left to her children, unique burial clothes & ashes wish
People: Sinéad O’Connor’s Will Names Ex-Husband John Reynolds as Executor and Instructs Her Children to ‘Milk’ Her Fortune
People: All About Sinéad O'Connor’s 4 Children
