The devastating connection between Sinéad O'Connor's life and her son's death.

Content warning: This post discusses depression and suicide, and may be triggering for some readers.

Sinéad O'Connor, the acclaimed Irish singer known for her chart-topping 1990 song 'Nothing Compares 2 U', has passed away.

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad," the singer's family said in a statement quoted by Irish broadcaster RTE. 

"Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."

O'Connor was 56. A cause of death has not been confirmed.

Watch: parents who have lost a child speak on their experience. Post continues below.

In January 2022, O'Connor announced that her 17-year-old son had passed away, two days after he was reported missing. He died by suicide.

She told her followers that he had "decided to end his earthly struggle" and urged for "no one to follow his example".

"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," she wrote. 

"May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace."

Devastatingly, O'Connor had long been in the media for her own personal struggle with mental health.

In 2015, she underwent a hysterectomy to treat her endometriosis. The surgery impacted her mental health.

"When I had the surgery, I was terribly triggered," O'Connor said at the time. 

Three years prior, the singer had spent time in and out of psychiatric facilities. She would often go on Facebook Livestream to share her struggles with fans. 

"Mental illness is a bit like drugs, it doesn't give a s**t who you are. And you know what's worse, the stigma doesn't give a s**t who you are," she said in the video.

"I'm fighting, fighting, fighting, fighting – like all the millions and millions that I know I'm one of – to stay alive every day."

After she was checked into a program later that year, O'Connor eventually found herself on the way to recovery.

"I was mental," she said. "But I don't regret those 'embarrassing' videos. I'm quite proud, in a weird way, that I was that open."

"The nature of a singer is to be emotionally honest. I've always been pretty open. And I have no regrets," she added.

Just over a week before her death, O'Connor shared a tweet about her son.

"Been living as undead night creature since. He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul," she posted from a now-deleted Twitter account.

"We were one soul in two halves. He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally. I am lost in the bardo without him."

Sinead O'Connor's family life.

Sinead O'Connor had four children, Jake, 34, Roisin, 25, Shane, 17 and Yeshua, 14. Each have different fathers. 

"Four children by four different men, only one of whom I married, and I married three other men, none of whom are the fathers of my children," she told The Guardian. 

Her own relationship with her children had been a journey - one she said wasn't linear. 

Jake, the singer's oldest son, is shared with her ex-husband and music producer, John Reynolds. 

The pair tied the knot in 1987 and welcomed their child in 1988. They split in 1991. In 2015, Jake became a father. 

Her second oldest and only daughter Roisin, was born in 1997 to O'Connor and journalist John Waters. 

The pair's relationship remained fractured, and the two went into a lengthy custody battle before Waters was given sole custodianship. 

He was asked to live in Dublin to be closer to Roisin's mother. 

Shane was shared with Irish folk musician Dónal Lunny. The couple called it quits shortly after their son's birth. 

Shane passed away on January 7, 2022.

Sinead with her son, Shane. Image: Sinead O'Connor.

O'Connor's youngest child, Yeshua, has American businessman Frank Bonadio as their father. 

Before her death, the singer shared that while she had a strong relationship with her kids in her later years, her hysterectomy resulted in a rapid mental health decline.

"Nobody had explained to me or my family that 'she's going to be a crazy bitch because we took her ovaries for no reason'. So the children were terrified of me," she said. 

"[I was] angry. Raging. I was furious. I was completely gone. I was suicidal," O'Connor said before revealing she had scared almost every single person away from her. 

"Nobody could deal with me. I was very isolated and alone. I’d be looking at them, thinking, what the hell are they all frightened of?"

Sinead O’Connor, 1995. Image: Getty. In 2020, O'Connor showed the world that recovery isn't linear, and told fans she had made the decision to postpone her 2021 tour to enter a year-long treatment program for trauma and addiction. 

The desire to focus on her well-being followed the impact of losing a cherished friend.

O'Connor said the music industry had been "a very unforgiving place for artists who need to postpone due to emotional or mental health issues". 

"If taking this step means my career is over, then so be it," she wrote. 

The singer finished by quoting the American poet Mary Oliver: "I must save the only life I can."

If you think you may be experiencing depression or another mental health problem, please contact your general practitioner. If you're based in Australia, 24-hour support is available through Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyondblue on 1300 22 4636.

This post was originally published in January 2022, and has been updated with new information.

Feature Image: Getty / Twitter @OhSineady.