On Wednesday, Sinéad O’Connor, the celebrated Irish singer, passed away at 56 years old. In a 2021 interview with People Magazine, she disclosed that she had informed her children about the necessary steps to take in case of her sudden demise. She emphasized the significance of safeguarding her artistic work, as it often gains value after an artist’s death, providing her children with financial stability. Hence, she instructed them to prioritize the protection of her art even before seeking emergency services.
According to Sinéad O’Connor, she expressed concerns about the posthumous exploitation of artists’ work by record companies. She cited the example of Tupac, who has had numerous albums released after his death, leading to increased value. In a conversation with an outlet, she mentioned her own experiences and the case of Prince, whose record label had profited significantly from releasing his music after his passing in 2016. To protect her own children from potential exploitation, O’Connor has consistently instructed them to contact her accountant before alerting emergency services in the unfortunate event of her sudden death. This way, they can ensure that her artistic work is safeguarded, and they are informed about any financial transactions related to it.
Sinéad O’Connor strongly expressed her frustration and anger about the situation regarding Prince’s unreleased music. She criticized the record labels for releasing posthumous music without considering the artist’s wishes, which she metaphorically referred to as “raping his vault.” O’Connor highlighted that all musicians have songs they consider subpar and would prefer to keep private. Prince, who was known for releasing almost all his recorded material, had taken the effort to store certain songs in a vault, indicating his clear intention to keep them unreleased.
She further lamented the use of Prince’s song “Let’s Go Crazy” in a credit card commercial, which she believed contradicted the song’s original message of appreciation, friendship, and love over material possessions. O’Connor believed that Prince would not have approved of his art being used in such a commercial manner after his passing and emphasized her belief that he would be deeply upset about it.
In summary, Sinéad O’Connor expressed her strong feelings against the posthumous release of Prince’s unreleased music and the commercialization of his songs in ways that she felt went against his artistic vision and values.
At the time of her passing, Sinéad O’Connor is survived by three of her four children. It’s known that she had been facing challenges with her mental health for several years before her death. In January of 2022, her struggles intensified when her 17-year-old son, Shane, tragically took his own life. He had managed to escape from suicide watch at a nearby hospital before the unfortunate incident occurred. The loss of her son had a profound impact on O’Connor’s mental well-being, adding to the difficulties she had been coping with over the years.
