Sinéad O'Connor's children express gratitude for support a month after Irish singer's death
Sinéad O'Connor's children expressed gratitude for those who have "helped to ease the burden of sorrow" after their mother's death in July.
O'Connor's children – Jake, Roisin and Yeshua – and extended family issued a statement to The Irish Times on Monday "to thank the countless kind people who sympathized and offered condolences on Sinéad’s recent passing. Their helpful support for the family is much appreciated."
O’Connor, the trailblazing Irish artist and "Nothing Compares 2 U" hitmaker, died at age 56 in July.
The family personally thanked Irish President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina, and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, for attending O'Connor's funeral on Aug. 8. They also expressed gratitude to the Colliers Funeral Directors and the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust who "facilitated the bringing home of Sinéad’s body to Ireland."
"The family gathering in the afternoon was in Powerscourt House where management and staff were excellent in every respect and Sinéad’s life was celebrated there by a host of her friends in music who helped to ease the burden of sorrow at Sinéad’s passing," O'Connor's children wrote.
Her family went on to thank media in Ireland and abroad for celebrating O'Connor "in song and story while showing respect for the privacy requested by the family."
They asked for continued privacy, ending the statement, "Finally, we wish to thank Sinéad’s fans and admirers for the wonderful funeral procession they gave her past her old home in Bray and for the national and international outpouring of love and affection for Sinéad from the time of her passing."
Sinéad O'Connor,acclaimed and controversial Irish musician, dies at 56
The vocalist’s cause of death has not yet been revealed. USA TODAY has reached out to O'Connor's representatives for comment.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad," O'Connor's family said in a statement to the BBC on July 26. "Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."
The news came more than a year after O'Connor's 17-year-old son Shane died by suicide in January 2022. The singer posted a series of troubling messages to her Twitter account in the weeks following his death, writing, "I've decided to follow my son. There’s no point living without him." Shane was one of O'Connor's four children.
Contributing: Patrick Ryan
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