Sinead O‘ Connor in Bray , einem Badeort im irischen County Wicklow (Zwanzig Kilometer südlich von Dublin) beigesetzt. Unzählige Fans der Sängerin säumten die Straßen, um ihr bei einem Trauerzug die letzte Ehre zu erweisen. Angeführt wurde der Wagentross von einer schwarzen Limousine, in der der Leichnam O’Connors bis zu ihrer Ruhestätte transportiert wurde.
Angehörige waren eingeladen, an der Strandpromenade von Wicklow – ihrem liebsten Wohnort – gemeinsam zu trauern. O‘ Connor verstarb am 26. Juli 2023 im Alter von 56 Jahren in ihrem Haus im Süden Londons.
Schon seit Tagen ist ihr Haus in Bray eine Wallfahrtsstätte für Fans geworden, die dort Blumen, Stofftiere, Kerzen und handgeschriebene Notizen ablegten. Auf einer steht: „Du bist für immer in meinem Herzen“.
Zu den Teilnehmern des Trauerzugs gehörte O’Connors Weggefährte Bob Geldof. Er fuhr in einem Taxi hinter dem Leichenwagen her. Die beiden waren viele Jahre befreundet, wie der Sänger der Boomtown Rats bei einem Auftritt in Irland erst kürzlich sagte. „Sie war eine sehr gute Freundin von mir. Wir haben bis vor ein paar Wochen noch miteinander gesprochen.Einige ihrer Texte waren voller Verzweiflung und Hoffnungslosigkeit, andere waren ekstatisch glücklich. So war sie eben.“
Der Trauerzug soll entlang der Strandpromenade in Bray von der Harbour Bar bis zum anderen Ende der Strand Road fahren, wo O’Connor 15 Jahre lang gelebt hatte. Dort endet der öffentliche Trauerzug — die Beerdigung soll im Anschluss im privaten Kreis stattfinden.
Die Familie bedankte sich in dem Statement außerdem für die „überwältigende Liebe der Menschen in County Wicklow und darüber hinaus“.
Sinead O‘ Connor
In einem Fernsehinterview mit Oprah Winfrey im Jahr 2007 sprach O’Connor über ihr Leben mit der bipolaren Störung und erklärte, wie sie unter Selbstmordgedanken litt. „Ich glaube nicht, dass ich mit einer bipolaren Störung geboren wurde – ich glaube, sie ist eine Folge der Gewalt, die ich erlebt habe“, sagte sie Winfrey und bezog sich dabei auf den Missbrauch, den sie als Kind durch ihre Mutter erfahren hatte.
Später, im Jahr 2013, erzählte O’Connor ihren Fans, dass sie fehldiagnostiziert wurde und stattdessen an einer posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung leidet, die auf den Missbrauch zurückzuführen ist, den sie erlebt hat.
Wie O’Connor hatte auch der 71-jährige Bob Geldof den Tod eines seiner Kinder zu verkraften. Seine Tochter Peaches starb 2014 im Alter von 25 Jahren an einer Überdosis Heroin. Ihre Mutter, die Moderatorin und Schriftstellerin Paula Yates, starb im Jahr 2000 auf die gleiche Weise.
Bob Geldof lobte O’Connors Offenheit und Mut und verwies darauf, dass sie 1992 in der US-amerikanischen Late Night Show „Saturday Night Live “ ein Bild des Papstes zerrissen hatte, um gegen den sexuellen Missbrauch von Kindern in der katholischen Kirche zu protestieren.
BRAY, IRELAND – AUGUST 8: People leave flowers and messages outside the former home of the late Sinéad O’Connor on August 8, 2023 in Bray, Ireland. The public lined the streets of Bray today as the funeral cortege of Sinéad O’Connor passed through the town where she lived for 15 years. The iconic Irish singer known for her hit single „Nothing Compares 2 U“ passed away at the age of 56 on July 26, 2023. O’Connor was renowned as a protest singer who used her fame to champion human rights, anti-racism, and expose injustice, particularly within the Catholic Church. She leaves behind three children. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
Copyright: Getty Images/Charles McQuillan
BRAY, IRELAND – AUGUST 8: People leave flowers and messages outside the former home of the late Sinéad O’Connor on August 8, 2023 in Bray, Ireland. The public lined the streets of Bray today as the funeral cortege of Sinéad O’Connor passed through the town where she lived for 15 years. The iconic Irish singer known for her hit single „Nothing Compares 2 U“ passed away at the age of 56 on July 26, 2023. O’Connor was renowned as a protest singer who used her fame to champion human rights, anti-racism, and expose injustice, particularly within the Catholic Church. She leaves behind three children. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
Copyright: Getty Images/Charles McQuillan
BRAY, IRELAND – AUGUST 8: Flowers and a chair are seen outside the former home of the late Sinéad O’Connor on August 8, 2023 in Bray, Ireland. The public lined the streets of Bray today as the funeral cortege of Sinéad O’Connor passed through the town where she lived for 15 years. The iconic Irish singer known for her hit single „Nothing Compares 2 U“ passed away at the age of 56 on July 26, 2023. O’Connor was renowned as a protest singer who used her fame to champion human rights, anti-racism, and expose injustice, particularly within the Catholic Church. She leaves behind three children. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
Copyright: Getty Images/Charles McQuillan
BRAY, IRELAND – AUGUST 8: Members of the public sing along to ‚Nothing Compares to You‘ before the hearse carrying Sinead O’Connor’s coffin stops at her former home on the seafront on August 8, 2023 in Bray, Ireland. The public lined the streets of Bray today as the funeral cortËge of Sinead O’Connor passed through the town where she lived for 15 years. The iconic Irish singer known for her hit single „Nothing Compares 2 U“ passed away at the age of 56 on July 26, 2023. O’Connor was renowned as a protest singer who used her fame to champion human rights, anti-racism, and expose injustice, particularly within the Catholic Church. She leaves behind three children. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
Copyright: Getty Images/Charles McQuillan
Flowers and tributes are pictured outside the former home of Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, in Bray, eastern Ireland, ahead of her funeral on August 8, 2023. A funeral service for Sinead O’Connor, the outspoken singer who rose to international fame in the 1990s, is to be held on Tuesday in the Irish seaside town of Bray. (Photo by PAUL FAITH / AFP) (Photo by PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Copyright: AFP via Getty Images/PAUL FAITH
A photograph taken on August 8, 2023 shows the coffin and a picture of late Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, in the hearse during her funeral procession outside her former home in Bray, eastern Ireland, ahead of her funeral on August 8, 2023. A funeral service for Sinead O’Connor, the outspoken singer who rose to international fame in the 1990s, is to be held on Tuesday in the Irish seaside town of Bray. (Photo by PAUL FAITH / AFP) (Photo by PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Copyright: AFP via Getty Images/PAUL FAITH
TOPSHOT – People lay flowers and tributes on the hearse during the funeral procession of late Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, outside the former home in Bray, eastern Ireland, ahead of her funeral on August 8, 2023. A funeral service for Sinead O’Connor, the outspoken singer who rose to international fame in the 1990s, is to be held on Tuesday in the Irish seaside town of Bray. (Photo by PAUL FAITH / AFP) (Photo by PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Copyright: AFP via Getty Images/PAUL FAITH
Flowers and tributes are pictured outside the former home of Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, in Bray, eastern Ireland, ahead of her funeral on August 8, 2023. A funeral service for Sinead O’Connor, the outspoken singer who rose to international fame in the 1990s, is to be held on Tuesday in the Irish seaside town of Bray. (Photo by PAUL FAITH / AFP) (Photo by PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Copyright: AFP via Getty Images/PAUL FAITH
Flowers and tributes are pictured outside the former home of Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, in Bray, eastern Ireland, ahead of her funeral on August 8, 2023. A funeral service for Sinead O’Connor, the outspoken singer who rose to international fame in the 1990s, is to be held on Tuesday in the Irish seaside town of Bray. (Photo by PAUL FAITH / AFP) (Photo by PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Copyright: AFP via Getty Images/PAUL FAITH
People lay flowers and tributes outside the former home of Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, in Bray, eastern Ireland,ahead of her funeral on August 8, 2023. A funeral service for Sinead O’Connor, the outspoken singer who rose to international fame in the 1990s, is to be held on Tuesday in the Irish seaside town of Bray. (Photo by PAUL FAITH / AFP) (Photo by PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Copyright: AFP via Getty Images/PAUL FAITH
People lay flowers and tributes outside the former home of Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, in Bray, eastern Ireland, ahead of her funeral on August 8, 2023. A funeral service for Sinead O’Connor, the outspoken singer who rose to international fame in the 1990s, is to be held on Tuesday in the Irish seaside town of Bray. (Photo by PAUL FAITH / AFP) (Photo by PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Copyright: AFP via Getty Images/PAUL FAITH
WATERFORD, IRELAND – AUGUST 05: A mural created for Sinead O’Connor is seen during the All Together Now Festival 2023 on August 05, 2023 in Waterford, Ireland. (Photo by Debbie Hickey/Getty Images)
Copyright: Getty Images/Debbie Hickey
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 27: Members of the Irish community come together to mourn singer Sinead O’Connor on July 27, 2023 in London, England. The Irish singer most-recognized for her 1990 single Nothing Compares 2 U, died at 56, it was announced on July 26, 2023. Sinead O’Connor saw herself as a protest singer, rather than a pop star and used her fame to advocate for human rights, anti-racism, and call out injustice, including sexual abuse within the Catholic Church at a time when few did. Her death comes 18 months after her son Shane was reported missing on January 8, 2022, and later found dead. She is survived by her three remaining children, Jake, Brigidine and Yeshua. (Footage by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Copyright: Getty Images/Carl Court
DUBLIN, LEINSTER, IRELAND – 2023/07/30: People hold placards and sing as they pay tribute to Sinéad O’Connor. About 100 people gathered in Dublin City Centre to pay tribute to Sinéad O’Connor, who died last week on July 26th. Emotional, fans and admirers spoke and recalled her life and career as a musician and activist, and they sang her songs together. The event was organized by the feminist group ROSA Socialist. (Photo by Natalia Campos/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Copyright: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett/SOPA Images
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 27: Tributes are seen as members of the Irish community come together to mourn singer Sinead O’Connor on July 27, 2023 in London, England. The Irish singer most-recognized for her 1990 single Nothing Compares 2 U, died at 56, it was announced on July 26, 2023. Sinead O’Connor saw herself as a protest singer, rather than a pop star and used her fame to advocate for human rights, anti-racism, and call out injustice, including sexual abuse within the Catholic Church at a time when few did. Her death comes 18 months after her son Shane was reported missing on January 8, 2022, and later found dead. She is survived by her three remaining children, Jake, Brigidine and Yeshua. (Footage by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Copyright: Getty Images/Carl Court
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 27: Members of the Irish community come together to mourn singer Sinead O’Connor on July 27, 2023 in London, England. The Irish singer most-recognized for her 1990 single Nothing Compares 2 U, died at 56, it was announced on July 26, 2023. Sinead O’Connor saw herself as a protest singer, rather than a pop star and used her fame to advocate for human rights, anti-racism, and call out injustice, including sexual abuse within the Catholic Church at a time when few did. Her death comes 18 months after her son Shane was reported missing on January 8, 2022, and later found dead. She is survived by her three remaining children, Jake, Brigidine and Yeshua. (Footage by Carl Court/Getty Images)
Copyright: Getty Images/Carl Court
DUBLIN, LEINSTER, IRELAND – 2023/07/30: People hold placards and sing as they pay tribute to Sinéad O’Connor. About 100 people gathered in Dublin City Centre to pay tribute to Sinéad O’Connor, who died last week on July 26th. Emotional, fans and admirers spoke and recalled her life and career as a musician and activist, and they sang her songs together. The event was organized by the feminist group ROSA Socialist. (Photo by Natalia Campos/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Copyright: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett/SOPA Images
People lay flowers and tributes on the hearse during the funeral procession of late Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, outside the former home in Bray, eastern Ireland, ahead of her funeral on August 8, 2023. A funeral service for Sinead O’Connor, the outspoken singer who rose to international fame in the 1990s, is to be held on Tuesday in the Irish seaside town of Bray. (Photo by PAUL FAITH / AFP) (Photo by PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Copyright: AFP via Getty Images/PAUL FAITH
BRAY, IRELAND – AUGUST 8: Crowds of people throw flowers as they line the street as the hearse carrying Sinead O’Connor’s coffin passes by her former home on the seafront on August 8, 2023 in Bray, Ireland. The public lined the streets of Bray today as the funeral cortËge of Sinead O’Connor passed through the town where she lived for 15 years. The iconic Irish singer known for her hit single „Nothing Compares 2 U“ passed away at the age of 56 on July 26, 2023. O’Connor was renowned as a protest singer who used her fame to champion human rights, anti-racism, and expose injustice, particularly within the Catholic Church. She leaves behind three children. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
Copyright: Getty Images/Charles McQuillan
BRAY, IRELAND – AUGUST 8: People leave flowers and messages outside the former home of the late Sinéad O’Connor on August 8, 2023 in Bray, Ireland. The public lined the streets of Bray today as the funeral cortege of Sinéad O’Connor passed through the town where she lived for 15 years. The iconic Irish singer known for her hit single „Nothing Compares 2 U“ passed away at the age of 56 on July 26, 2023. O’Connor was renowned as a protest singer who used her fame to champion human rights, anti-racism, and expose injustice, particularly within the Catholic Church. She leaves behind three children. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
Copyright: Getty Images/Charles McQuillan
BRAY, IRELAND – AUGUST 8: People leave flowers and messages outside the former home of the late Sinéad O’Connor on August 8, 2023 in Bray, Ireland. The public lined the streets of Bray today as the funeral cortege of Sinéad O’Connor passed through the town where she lived for 15 years. The iconic Irish singer known for her hit single „Nothing Compares 2 U“ passed away at the age of 56 on July 26, 2023. O’Connor was renowned as a protest singer who used her fame to champion human rights, anti-racism, and expose injustice, particularly within the Catholic Church. She leaves behind three children. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)
Copyright: Getty Images/Charles McQuillan
People gather to pay a tribute during the funeral procession of late Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, outside the former home in Bray, eastern Ireland, ahead of her funeral on August 8, 2023. A funeral service for Sinead O’Connor, the outspoken singer who rose to international fame in the 1990s, is to be held on Tuesday in the Irish seaside town of Bray. (Photo by PAUL FAITH / AFP) (Photo by PAUL FAITH/AFP via Getty Images)
Copyright: AFP via Getty Images/PAUL FAITH
