Sinéad O'Connor died of natural causes, a London coroner said in a statement on Tuesday. The finding appears to rule out the possibility that the Irish singer-songwriter died by suicide or a drug overdose, contrary to widespread speculation among her fans after she was found lifeless in a London home in July.
Best known for '80s and '90s pop hits like her rendition of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” O'Connor is known around the world for also speaking out on mental health and abortion, and against sexual abuse the Catholic Church protested. Her death at age 56 came just over a year after her teenage son Shane committed suicide in early 2022 – a tragedy that led to the singer being hospitalized after threatening self-harm. Days before her death, O'Connor announced on social media that she had almost completed work on an album and wanted to tour.
It is still unclear how O'Connor died, but Tuesday's coroner's ruling rules out some of the most feared possibilities.
André Rebello, secretary of the Coroners' Society of England and Wales, stated that “all deaths by suicide are 'unnatural.'” Most deaths from natural causes are not reported to a coroner, but if a coroner were to find natural causes, it would never be a suicide.”
When someone dies a “natural death,” it means they did not die by suicide, an accident or a drug overdose, he said. Rebello emphasized that he was speaking in general terms and not about a specific case.
Southwark Coroner's Court said it had no further comment on O'Connor's death.
This article has been updated.