Sinéad O'Connor found 'unresponsive and pronounced dead' as police issue statement
The Met Police have said Irish singer Sinead O'Connor was found 'unresponsive' and confirmed her death is not being treated as suspicious.
The department released a statement on the death of O'Connor after her family announced the news of her passing yesterday (26 July).
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead," the family said. "Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."
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No cause of death was immediately given for O'Connor, who was 56 years old, but in a statement of their own the Met Police said she had been pronounced dead at the scene after officers were called on Wednesday.
The Met 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."
News of O'Connor's death has prompted hundreds of tributes from fans, who have praised the singer for her music as well as her outspoken views on subjects like religion, war and feminism.
In 1992, O'Connor famously tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live in protest against abuse in the Catholic Church.
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar was among those honouring O'Connor after her death, as he tweeted: "Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare."
Fachtna Ó Ceallaigh, who has managed O’Connor over the years, credited the singer with creating new opportunities for women in music.
“It wasn’t just that she was unique looking – her willingness to speak what she believed to be the truth forged a new path for women in the music industry to be as close to their true selves as they could possibly be," she wrote.
O'Connor's death comes 18 months after she lost one of her children, Shane, two days after he went missing from hospital.
In her final tweets before she passed away, O'Connor paid tribute to her son as she described him as the 'love of her life'.
"We were one soul in two halves," she wrote. "He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally. I am lost in the bardo without him."
As well as Shane, O'Connor also had three other children; Jake Reynolds, Roisin Waters and Yeshua Bonadio.
Emily Brown