Sinead O’Connor’s Most Memorable And Controversial Moments

By Brent Furdyk. 26 Jul 2023 6:09 PM

Sinead O’Connor burst on the music scene in in 1987 with the arrival of her critically acclaimed album The Lion and the Cobra. It was her second album, 1990’s I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, that broke through in the mainstream, spawning the hit single “Nothing Compares 2 U” (written by Prince), which spent four weeks at No. 1.

The decades that followed were turbulent ones for the Irish singer, who died July 26 at the age of 56.

Take a look back at some of the most memorable and controversial moments from a life cut short.

Banning 'The Star-Spangled Banner' (1990)

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ph: ©MTV / courtesy Everett Collection

Ripping Up The Pope’s Photo On ‘SNL’ (1992)

Photo by: Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank

Heckled And Booed At Bob Dylan Tribute Show (1992)

AP Photo/Ron Frehm, File)

©Paramount Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection

AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File

Photo by Juan Naharro Gimenez/Getty Images

Photo by Morena Brengola/Getty Images

AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File

Photo by Andrew Chin/Getty Images

She Praised Prince Harry For His Mental Health Advocacy Work

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Banning 'The Star-Spangled Banner' (1990)
Everett Collection/CPImages
Sinead O'Connor was hit with backlash when she refused to allow "The Star-Spangled Banner" to be played before a New Jersey concert, which led numerous radio stations in the New York and New Jersey area to ban her music played before a show in New Jersey in 1990.

"I sincerely harbour no disrespect for America or Americans, but I have a policy of not having any national anthems played before my concerts in any country, not even my own, because they have nothing to do with music in general," she said at the time. "I am concerned, though, because today we're seeing other artists arrested at their concerts, some threatened with having their albums taken off the shelves or not even released at all. There is a disturbing trend toward censorship of music and art in this country, and people should be alarmed over that far more than my actions..."
Boycotting The Grammys (1991)
ph: ©MTV / courtesy Everett Collection
Even though she was nominated for four Grammys, Sinead O'Connor announced she was boycotting the 1991 award telecast.

She explained why in an open letter, complaining that the Grammys honoured chart success more than artistic achievement. "They acknowledge mostly the commercial side of art," she wrote in her letter. "They respect mostly material gain, since that is the main reason for their existence. And they have created a great respect among artists for material gain — by honouring us and exalting us when we achieve it, ignoring for the most part those of us who have not."
Ripping Up The Pope’s Photo On ‘SNL’ (1992)
Photo by: Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank
Sinead O'Connor shocked TV viewers — and NBC censors — during her 1992 appearance as musical guest on "Saturday Night Live". After an a cappella rendition of Bob Marley's "War", she held up a photo of Pope John Paul I and then tore it into several pieces. "Fight the real enemy," she said directly into the camera (something she hadn't done during dress rehearsal).

The stunt sparked worldwide protests from millions of Catholics, with O'Connor stating her intention was to bring attention to the rampant sexual abuse of children taking place within the church.
Heckled And Booed At Bob Dylan Tribute Show (1992)
AP Photo/Ron Frehm, File)
In an unfortunate bit of timing, Sinead O'Connor was booked to perform at a star-studded concert honouring Bob Dylan's 30 years in showbiz, less than two weeks after her controversial "SNL" appearance. Introduced by Kris Kristofferson, O'Connor was loudly booed by seemingly the entire audience in Madison Square Garden. As she attempted to sing Bob Dylan's "I Believe In You", she was drowned out by catcalls and booing, and finally stopped mid-song and fled the stage.
She Appeared In Movies (1992, 1997)
©Paramount Pictures/courtesy Everett Collection
Sinead O'Connor appeared in a few movies over the years, including an uncredited appearance as Charlotte Bronte in 1992's "Wuthering Heights".

Far more controversially, she played the Virgin Mary in 1997's "The Butcher Boy".
She Became A Priest (1999)
AP Photo/Antonio Calanni, File
In 1999, Sinead O'Connor announced she'd been ordained as a priest within the Latin Tridentine order — a sect not officially recognized by the Roman Catholic Church — and took the name Mother Bernadette Marie.
She Came Out As Gay (2000)
Photo by Juan Naharro Gimenez/Getty Images
During a 2000 interview with Curve magazine, Sinead O'Connor outed herself as a lesbian.

However, in 2005 she walked that statement back, telling Entertainment Weekly, “I’m three-quarters heterosexual, a quarter gay. I lean a bit more towards the hairy blokes.”
She Revealed She's Bipolar (2007)
Photo by Morena Brengola/Getty Images
During a 2007 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Sinead O'Connor revealed she'd been diagnosed with bipolar disorder a few years earlier, after a lifetime of struggling with depression.

“It’s like being a bucket with holes in it," O'Connor told Winfrey. "Just leaking tears from every pore."
She Changed Her Name (2017)
AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File
In 2017, Sinead O'Connor took to social media to reveal she'd changed her name to Magda Davitt. "I no longer want the patriarchal name," she explained. "The name I have chosen is beautiful and suits me much better."
She Converted To Islam (2018))
Photo by Andrew Chin/Getty Images
In 2018, Sinead O'Connor took to Twitter to announced she had converted to Islam.

“This is to announce that I am proud to have become a Muslim,” she wrote. “This is the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian's journey. All scripture study leads to Islam."

In connection with her conversion, she also announced she'd changed her name again, this time to Shuhada' Davitt.
She Praised Prince Harry For His Mental Health Advocacy Work
Credit Image: © Alessandro Bosio/Pacific Press via ZUMA Wire
In 2021, Sinead O'Connor wrote an open letter to Prince Harry, praising him for opening up about his struggles with mental health.

“As someone who has trauma-related mental health struggles, I wanted to let you know how bowled over I am by your Apple TV series. You’re slammin’ it, to use a musical term. You just keep shining on through,” she wrote. “It’s a shock that takes years to come out of, when someone dies so violently and suddenly. It’s a lifetime’s recovery. I really identified with you when you shared the rage and anger you felt at the time of your mother’s passing. I was the same. I’m sure we all were, any of us who ever lost someone in that sudden way. Transcending that grief as you’ve done by sharing it, cuts through a lot of garbage. And a lot of us appreciate what you’re doing.”

Sinead O’Connor’s Most Memorable And Controversial Moments

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