Sinéad O'Connor died in London, UK police confirm

In a statement issued to the Irish Examiner a spokesperson said: “Police were called at 11:18hrs on Wednesday, 26 July to reports of an unresponsive woman at a residential address in the SE24 area.

“Officers attended. A 56-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene. Next of kin have been notified.

"The death is not being treated as suspicious. A file will be prepared for the coroner.”

A date for the singer’s funeral has yet to be confirmed but it is believed a will likely be held in Ireland next month.

Ms O'Connor, who sold her home on Bray seafront in Co. Wicklow in recent years, had been dividing her time between her cottage on the border of Roscommon and Leitrim and London.

Her death comes just 18 months after her third child, Shane, died when he was 17.

'One of our greatest'

The news comes as tributes to the late singer have flooded in.

They were led by President Michael D Higgins who praised Ms O’Connor’s “beautiful, unique voice” and her “fearless commitment to the important issues which she brought to public attention, no matter how uncomfortable those truths may have been”.

Picture: Paul Daly/RollingNews.ie

“What Ireland has lost at such a relatively young age is one of our greatest and most gifted composers, songwriters and performers of recent decades, one who had a unique talent and extraordinary connection with her audience, all of whom held such love and warmth for her,” he added in a statement.

“The way in which she was able to move across the different forms of the arts was a singular achievement, as was the way her voice went around the world and how it was received.”

Irish singer Mary Black said Ms O’Connor sang with “such truth”.

“Every word she sang in any song you felt she meant it from the bottom of her heart, and she had that sort of brilliant raw talent that came out no matter what song she sang,” she told RTÉ.

“It was in old ballads that she might sing, or it could be a hymn, and any of her songs she never just sang, she gave it her whole soul and heart and I think that’s what made it special, so special.” 

Ms Black added: “She was fragile and fearful but fearless as well, in that when she felt something was wrong or when she felt she needed to speak she would speak and that was an unusual trait in a woman, particularly going back 10, 15, 20 years when she was starting out.

Sinéad O'Connor was hailed as "one of our greatest and most gifted composers, songwriters and performers". Picture: Dominick Walsh

“So, you know, it was something that other women began to admire and say ‘My God, how strong is she? You know maybe we can be more like that’.”

Fiachna Ó Braonáin, a broadcaster and member of the Hothouse Flowers, said it was a “privilege” to have performed and toured with her.

“(She had) one of the most unique voices to ever come out of Ireland, there’s no question about it,” he told Newstalk radio.

Her voice could go from a whisper to a scream and convey such deep emotion.

“So many female artists now are all paying tribute to her, saying she paved the way in so many ways for so many of our incredible female artists that we don’t play enough on the radio.” He said that Flea, bassist with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, had paid tribute to O’Connor on Twitter, saying: “For all us street kids, for all us wildlings, when Sinead got huge, it felt like one of us made it.”

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said he was “really sorry” to hear of O’Connor’s death, saying her music was “loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare”.

Presenter Ryan Tubridy has said he is “devastated” by the death of Sinead O’Connor.

In an Instagram post, he wrote: “Like everyone, I’m devastated by the awful news about Sinead. We spoke days ago and she was as kind, powerful, passionate, determined and decent as ever.”

— additional reporting from PA