While many people will remember Sinéad O’Connor for her musical talent and defiant personality, the late singer was also a mother to four children.
It was announced on July 26 that the “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer had passed away at the age of 56.
The tragic news came less than two years after O’Connor suffered the loss of her teenage son, Shane, which weighed heavily on the rocker until her death.
Keep scrolling to learn more about O’Connor’s family life.
Jake Reynolds
O’Connor became a mom in June 1987 when she gave birth to her son Jake Reynolds.
At the time, she was married to record producer John Reynolds, but the pair ultimately decided to go their separate ways in 1991.
Like his mom, Jake has tried to remain out of the spotlight in recent years and little is known about her first born aside from the fact that he pursued a career in culinary arts.
While the mother-son duo appeared to have had a somewhat tumultuous relationship, O’Connor revealed in 2015 that her son helped fulfill her dream of becoming a grandmother.
“OMG! Am literally hours away from the greatest dream of my life coming true! #Granny! (sic)” she wrote on Facebook, per Independent.ie. “This for Lia and Jake and their little angel, who flew about with me in Vegas last week as I was singing the Foggy Dew.”
Jake and his then-girlfriend welcomed a baby boy yet it’s unclear what they chose to name the little one.
Roisin Waters
The “All Apologies” singer welcomed her second child — a daughter named Roisin — in March 1996 with Irish journalist John Waters.
The couple, who never married, split shortly before the arrival of their daughter and subsequently found themselves in a three-year custody war.
Eventually, O’Connor agreed to let Roisin live with Waters in 1999 amid her own mental health struggles.
While little is known about O’Connor’s only daughter, she seemingly inherited her mother’s musical talents.
In 2014, the then-teen joined O’Connor on an Icelandic television show to sing a duet.
Similarly to her older half-bother, Roisin is now a pastry chef.
Regardless of her “great singing voice,” O’Connor told People in 2021 she was thrilled that her daughter chose a more low-key profession.
“I used to be frightened of her getting into the music business because I thought they would treat her like they treat me,” she explained. “I didn’t want that.”
Shane Lunny
O’Connor became a mother of three in 2004 when she and Irish folk singer Donal Lunny welcomed a son named Shane.
In that same interview with People, O’Connor revealed that Shane was “a real mommy’s boy … He just loves his mommy since the day he was born.”
“He’s the one of them that keeps saying he wants to be a musician,” she said.
“He’s a brilliant wordsmith. When he was 8, he was sent to a particular organization that assessed his intellect, and they said that in his use of vocabulary, he was the age 16,” she said. “He’s a master of English. So he wants to be a rapper in particular, which I’d say he’d be great at because he’s a brilliant wordsmith.”
However, in January 2022 the songstress revealed that Shane, 17, had died by suicide after going missing from the hospital.
“My beautiful son, Nevi’im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God,” Sinéad wrote in a since-deleted Tweet.
“May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace.”
Two days before his tragic death, O’Connor revealed that her son was missing and urged him to come home.
“Shane, it’s not funny any more all this going missing. You are scaring the crap out of me,” she tweeted
In another tweet, the singer alleged that the teen had been in the hospital “on suicide watch” before escaping.
In her final tweet before her death, O’Connor expressed the devastating heartbreak she still felt over her son’s suicide.
Responding to a tweet by the Inspirational Quotes account asking, “Tell me how your life is going using emojis,” she shared 10 crying faces with the hashtag, “lostmy17yrOldSonToSuicidein2022.”
“Been living as undead night creature since,” O’Connor wrote on July 17. “He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul. We were one soul in two halves. He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally.”
Yeshua Bonadio
Two years after Shane’s birth, O’Connor welcomed a third son, Yeshua, with Frank Bonadio.
In 2019, the singer shared a rare photo of her lookalike son to social media to celebrate his impressive cake-making skills.
In the snap, Yeshua could be seen riding in a car with a Halloween-themed cake, which she says won first prize in a baking competition.
Then, in 2021, O’Connor revealed that he had inherited her singing voice and was already shaping up to be an “incredible musician.”
“[He] plays piano and everything incredibly and an incredible singing voice,” she said, noting that he had dreams of going to college in America.
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
