Singer-songwriter Sinéad O'Connor exact cause of death was finally determined exactly one year after her passing.
O'Connor, 56, died from a combination of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, according to her death certificate, the Irish Independent reported on Saturday (July 27). The singer was found "unresponsive" and "pronounced dead at the scene" at her London home on July. 26, 2023.
Authorities didn't treat the Irish singer's death as a suspicious incident at the time of the initial report.
“This is to confirm that Ms O’Connor died of natural causes,” the Southwark Coroners Court representative told the Daily Mail. “The coroner has therefore ceased their involvement in her death.”
The Dublin native's passing was initially reported by the Irish Times and confirmed in a statement shared by her family.
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time," the family said via the Telegraph.
O'Connor's death came months after her 17-year-old son, Shane, was found dead in January 2023. The Irish singer found early success with her debut album 'The Lion and the Cobra' in 1987 and made a global breakthrough with her second album, 'I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got' in 1990, with her rendition of Prince's 'Nothing Compares 2 U' reaching No. 1 in several countries and charting for 11 weeks, as well as earning her a Grammy for best alternative music performance, as well as nominations for record of the year and best female vocal rock performance.
O'Connor also famously sparked controversy at the height of her popularity when she held up a photo of Pope John Paul II while reciting the lyric "evil" before ripping it apart while performing an acapella version of Bob Marley's 'War' on 'Saturday Night Live' in 1992, concluding the performance by exclaiming, "fight the real enemy," in protest against sexual abuse of children in the Catholic Church.