UFC superstar Conor McGregor paid tribute to Sinead O’Connor in a touching tweet on Wednesday after learning of the Irish singer-songwriter’s death. She was 56.
Reactions poured in from across the world on Wednesday. UFC champion and fellow Irishman Conor McGregor took to Twitter to pay tribute to the late singer.
McGregor described O’Connor’s voice as “iconic” and wrote that he was “Gutted” in a quote tweet of a video from UFC 189, accompanied by a broken heart.
“The world has lost an artist with the voice of an Angel. Ireland has lost an iconic voice and one of our absolute finest, by a long shot. And I have lost a friend. Sinead’s music will live on and continue to inspire! Rest In Peace, Sinead you are home with your son I am sure.” McGregor wrote in a tweet accompanied by photos of him with O’Connor.
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Sinéad OConnor was discovered at a young age when drummer Paul Byrne heard her sing a cover of Barbra Streisands “Evergreen.” Just a few years later, she released her first album, “The Lion and the Cobra,” in 1987. (Stacia Timonere/Getty Images)
The pictures in the tweet appeared to be from O’Connor’s 2015 performance where she sang during McGregor’s walkout before his featherweight title fight with Chad Mendes.
The proactive Irish singer-songwriter who rose to stardom in her mid-20s when she burst onto the music scene with her hit “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
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“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad,” the singer’s family said in a statement reported by the BBC. “Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
Closeup of Conor McGregor victorous with belts after Men’s Lightweight fight vs Eddie Alvarez at Madison Square Garden. New York, NY. (Chad Matthew Carlson /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
Recognizable by her shaved head and with a multi-octave mezzo soprano of extraordinary emotional range, O’Connor began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame.
She was a star from her 1987 debut album, “The Lion and the Cobra,” and became a sensation in 1990 with her cover of Prince’s ballad “Nothing Compares 2 U,” a seething, shattering performance that topped charts from Europe to Australia and was heightened by a promotional video featuring the gray-eyed O’Connor in intense close-up.
O’Connor’s 1992 “Saturday Night Live” performance sparked controversy after she ripped a picture of Pope John Paul II as she performed Bob Marley’s “War.”
The live television moment was done in protest of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church. She stood behind her actions In her memoir “Rememberings”, which was released in 2012, O’Conner wrote, “Everyone wants a pop star, see? But I am a protest singer. I just had stuff to get off my chest. I had no desire for fame.”
In 2018, O’Connor announced she had converted to Islam and that she changed her name to Shuhada’ Davitt. Around this time she took to Twitter to critisize Christians and Jews, calling them “disgusting,” apologizing for her words in 2019. (CHRISTOPHE KETELS/AFP via Getty Images)
O’Connor announced in 2018 that she had converted to Islam and would be adopting the name Shuhada’ Davitt, later Shuhada Sadaqat — although she continued to use Sinéad O’Connor professionally.
The singer married four times; her union to drug counselor Barry Herridge in 2011 lasted just 16 days. O’Connor had four children: Jake, with her husband John Reynolds; Roisin, with John Waters; Shane, with Donal Lunny; and Yeshua Bonadio, with Frank Bonadio.
O’Connor recorded 10 studio albums over the course of her career.
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O’Connor was born on Dec. 8, 1966. She is survived by three of her children.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
