Inside Sinéad O'Connor's Tragic Life: Singer Struggled With Mental Illness and Claims She Was Severely Abused by 'Possessed' Mother in Childhood
Sinéad O'Connor died at 56 in July 2023.
July 24 2026, Published 5:33 p.m. ET
Sinéad O'Connor was an award-winning music artist and activist, but amid her career successes, she experienced severe struggles with past trauma and her mental health.
Three years after the singer's death at 56, RadarOnline.com revisits her tragic life.
Sinead O'Connor's Violent Childhood
Sinéad O'Connor claimed her mother violently abused her throughout her childhood.
O'Connor admitted that she suffered horrific abuse at the hands of her mother throughout her childhood.
"I would say she was possessed, although I’m not sure I believe in such things," the Ireland-born singer said in a 2017 sit-down with Dr. Phil. "She ran a torture chamber."
"She was a person who would smile and delight when she was hurting you," added the artist. "She used to make me say over and over again, ‘I am nothing,’ while she was beating me."
Five years prior, she told People that her mother subjected her to "physical violence" that was "perpetrated particularly in a sexual manner."
"She wasn’t trying to have s-- with me, but she spent a good time trying to destroy my reproductive system," O'Connor continued. "It was psychological, too ... But I forgive my mother; she just wasn’t well."
Mental Health Struggles and Suicide Attempts
Sinéad O'Connor claimed she was misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Over the years, O'Connor also revealed that she had been given several mental health diagnoses, including bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) that seemingly stemmed from her tumultuous childhood.
Describing her mental health struggles, she compared it to "being a bucket with holes in it" that was "just leaking tears from every pore," during a 2007 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
"I’m not going to sit here and claim that I’m kind of perfect or anything. Anything is an improvement when you’ve been in desolation," she shared. "To be out of that place is brilliant. It doesn’t mean you don’t have lumps and bumps."
She eventually received second opinions and discovered that she may have been misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder and likely should not have been on medication for it.
Sinéad O'Connor struggled with suicidal thoughts throughout her life.
O'Connor tried to take her own life many times amid her personal battles. In 2017, she admitted to eight attempts in a single year.
In 2015, she claimed that she went to a hotel and took an overdose.
"There is no other way to get respect. I am not at home, I’m at a hotel, somewhere in Ireland, under another name If I wasn’t posting this, my kids and family wouldn’t even find out," she said in a Facebook post at the time. "Was dead for another fortnight since none of them bother their hole with me for a minute. I could have been dead here for weeks already and they’d never have known."
Fortunately, she was found and rushed to the hospital.
Unfortunately, her son was not so lucky. In 2022, Shane O'Connor died by suicide himself at 17.
Cause of Death
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Sinéad O'Connor died from natural causes.
One year later, the singer also died.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad,” her family shared in a statement at the time.
Medical examiners later confirmed her death was due to natural causes, including respiratory failure from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma.
