Sinead O'Connor, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 56, apparently had longstanding instructions for her kids should she die, and it involved the most practical of matters: money and ownership of her music. Back in 2021, the Irish singer-songwriter — who knew a thing or two about the financial and legal perils of the music industry — revealed that, in the event of her death, her children should call her accountant first thing.
"See, when the artists are dead, they're much more valuable than when they're alive," the 'Nothing Compares 2U' singer told People while promoting her memoir Remembering. "Tupac has released way more albums since he died than he ever did alive, so it's kind of gross what record companies do."
© Alamy"That's why I've always instructed my children since they were very small, 'If your mother drops dead tomorrow, before you called 911, call my accountant and make sure the record companies don't start releasing my records and not telling you where the money is.'"
At the time of her death, Sinead was mom to three living children: Jake Reynolds, born in 1987 and shared with first husband, music producer John Reynolds; Brigidine Waters, 27, shared with Irish journalist John Waters; Yeshua Bonadio, 16, shared with Frank Bonadio. Shane, her son with musician Donal Lunny, took his own life at age 16 in January 2022.
© FacebookThe 'Emperor's New Clothes' singer came upon this pragmatic stance about her money and musical legacy after observing not just how music industry executives handled Tupac Shakur's music following his 1996 death but, two decades later, how Prince's huge vault of recordings was monetized after his passing in 2016. (Prince was the songwriter and original artist to record 'Nothing Compares' before Sinead made it her signature ballad in 1990, and they met after she covered the track.) His anthem 'Let's Go Crazy,' for instance, was eventually used in a credit card commercial, something Sinead is convinced Prince would never have condoned.
"That's a song about appreciation, friendship, and love and not the material things in life. It's a song about, 'Look, we could die anytime now. Let's love each other and appreciate.' I think he will be turning in his grave over it being used to sell a credit card," she told People.
© Getty ImagesSinead left behind a considerable catalogue of music: ten studio albums between 1987 and 2014, and she sold over 6 million albums worldwide during her lifetime. Her commercial prospects took a major hit after she infamously ripped up a photo of the Pope, protesting the sexual abuse of children at the hands of Catholic priests, on Saturday Night Live in 1992.
Tragically, the musician — who was frank about her mental health struggles and was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder — noted that she was recording new music in one of her final tweets from a since-deleted account, with hopes to tour the world in 2024 and 2025.
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"Hi all, recently moved back to London after 23 years (of) absence,” she wrote on July 8. “Very happy to be home :) Soon finishing my album. Release early next year :) Hopefully touring Australia and New Zealand toward end 2024. Europe, USA and other territories beginning early 2025 :)."
© Getty ImagesIt was her very last tweets on July 17, however, that were truly heartbreaking, in which she mourned Shane's death. “Been living as undead night creature since,” she wrote along with a photo of her hugging Shane as a child. “He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul. “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's death is "not being treated as suspicious," a Scotland Yard spokesperson told the BBC on Thursday. Authorities found the singer "unresponsive" and "pronounced dead on the scene" at 11:18pm BST. An autopsy will be conducted, but results will not be available for several weeks.
