The controversial singer who died aged 56, had always been open about her struggles- from her troubled childhood to the devastating loss of her loss of 17-year-old Shane O’Connor.
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Born in Glenageary, County Dublin on December 8, 1966, Sinead was one of five children raised Roman Catholic.
The star had previously opened up about the abuse she experienced at the hands of her parents- who split up when she was eight years old.
At the age of 15 Sinead’s shoplifting and truancy saw her put in one of the notorious Magdalene asylums for 18 months.
Speaking about her traumatic experience years later, the singer recalled being sent to the Sisters of Our Lady Charity when she was just 14 years old after she was branded a “problem child.”
She told the Irish Sun at the time: “We were girls in there, not women, just children really. And the girls in there cried every day.
“It was a prison. We didn’t see our families, we were locked in, cut off from life, deprived of a normal childhood.
“We were told we were there because we were bad people. Some of the girls had been raped at home and not believed.
“One girl was in because she had a bad hip and her family didn’t know what to do with her. It was a great grief to us.”
Sinead said that her 18-month-long stay at the High Park rehabilitation centre left her angry and was part of the reason she ripped up a picture of Pope John Paul II during a performance.
Looking directly into the camera after singing Bob Marley’s War, on US show Saturday Night Live, Sinead said “fight the real enemy” – said to be a protest against the Catholic church.
The musician began to discover her love of singing and in 1984 she met Colm Farrelly, with whom she formed a band called Ton Ton Macoute.
But when her mum died in a car crash the following year, Sinead left the band and moved to London.
There she worked with a fired U2 record boss Fachtna O’Ceallaigh, who eventually organised for her to produce her own debut album, while pregnant with her son Jack.
Her first LP was a big success but her breakthrough hit came in 1990 – power ballad Nothing Compares 2 U topped the charts in 13 countries.
The music video – filmed close-up on Sinead’s face as she sings in a black polo neck – is now thought of as one of the 20th century’s most iconic videos.
Sinead said her tears in the video were genuine and that she was thinking about her mother while using the bel canto singing technique that helps express emotion.
She won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Performance in 1990 but boycotted the awards ceremony.
The singer went on to release eight more albums, the most recent being 2014’s I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss.
In her personal life, the singer has been married four times and had four children, Shane O’Connor, Jake Reynolds, Roisin Waters and Yeshua Francis Neil Bonadio.
Shane was tragically found dead last year after he went missing from Tallaght Hospital following years of struggling with mental health issues.
Sinead described him as the “light of my life”, adding: “My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace.”
On October 25, 2018, Sinead, who was ordained a priest by a Catholic sect during the 1990s, announced she had converted to Islam, and changed her name to Shuhada’ Davitt.
The singer tweeted a picture of herself wearing a hijab and told fans: “This is to announce that I am proud to have become a Muslim.”
“This is the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian’s journey.
“All scripture study leads to Islam. Which makes all other scriptures redundant.
“I will be given (another) new name. It will be Shuhada.”
Sinead changed her name last year to Magda Davitt, saying in an interview that she wanted to be “free of parental curses”.
The tragic news of her death was announced by her family in an emotional statement that read: “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.”
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