News

Yes, Sinéad O'Connor Has Died

Reports claiming that she died at age 56 were true.

Published Jul 26, 2023

 (Tim Mosenfelder/Contributor, Getty Images)
Image Via Tim Mosenfelder/Contributor, Getty Images

On July 26, 2023, reports surfaced claiming that Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor had died. They were factual.

The singer's family announced her death in a statement that was shared with reputable news outlets, including BBC, Irish public broadcaster RTE, and The Irish Times:

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.

The statement did not report her cause of death.

Multiple news outlets published full obituaries detailing O'Connor's life, including The New York Times and Associated Press.

Soon after reports of O'Connor's death started circulating on social media, Snopes readers flooded our website to determine whether they were true or a hoax.

Readers often turn to Snopes when they hear about a celebrity death to see if it's real or a hoax. False death announcements are a common form of internet junk news designed to convince gullible readers to go for clickbait or fall for phishing scams. Here's a deeper look into the misinformation trend, and here's a running list of celebrities that have been targets of it.

Sources

Burns, Sarah. "Sinéad O'Connor, Acclaimed Dublin Singer, Dies Aged 56." The Irish Times, https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/2023/07/26/sinead-oconnor-acclaimed-dublin-singer-dies-aged-56/. Accessed 26 July 2023.

Coscarelli, Joe. "Sinead O'Connor, Evocative and Outspoken Singer, Is Dead at 56." The New York Times, 26 July 2023. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/26/arts/music/sinead-oconnor-dead.html.

Hui, Sylvia. "Sinéad O'Connor, Gifted and Provocative Irish Singer, Dies at 56." AP News, 26 July 2023, https://apnews.com/article/sinead-oconnor-dies-62b6187073b349d3ab6bfb65b2a14292.

Sheils McName, Michael and Steven McIntosh. "Sinéad O'Connor: Irish Singer Dies Aged 56." BBC News, 26 July 2023. www.bbc.com, https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-66318626.

Singer Sinéad O'Connor Dies Aged 56. July 2023. www.rte.ie, https://www.rte.ie/entertainment/2023/0726/1396681-sinead-o-connor/.

Izz Scott LaMagdeleine is a fact-checker for Snopes.

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