The Irish singer Sinead O'Connor, known for the song Nothing Compares 2 U, has died at the age of 56. 

RTE, Ireland's public broadcaster, has released the following statement from O'Connor's family:

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 cause of O'Connor's death has, at the time of this writing, yet to be reported.

According to the BBC, the United Kingdom police have released a statement in which they revealed that, just before noon on Wednesday, July 26, officers were called to a residential address in southeast London where they found an unresponsive woman.

It has been confirmed that the house did belong to O'Connor and that O'Connor was the unresponsive woman whom the officers found in the house.

But, further specifics about the circumstances in which O'Connor was found have yet to be released. The police, though, have stated that they are not treating O'Connor's death as suspicious.

Currently, the London Inner South Coronoer's Court has ordered a post-mortem.

The court released a statement, saying, "The results of this may not be available for several weeks. The decision whether an inquest will be needed will be decided when these results are known and submissions have been heard from the family."

Born in Dublin, Ireland, O'Connor rose to fame in 1990 with her version of the Prince song Nothing Compares 2 U. The song, that year, topped the Billboard Hot 100. Over the years, she released 10 studio albums.

O'Connor, though, is, perhaps, equally if not more known for her non-conformist views and actions. As Fox News put it, "her political and cultural stances and troubled private life often overshadowed her music."

NBC News provides some examples of what it refers to as O'Connor's "activism and provocations." The outlet reports:

In 1991, she said she would boycott the Grammy awards, claiming the Recording Academy awarded artists based on commercial success. In October 1992, she infamously tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II and said "Fight the real enemy" as she performed as a musical guest on “Saturday Night Live.” She said the move was in protest of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

Such actions - and others - made O'Connor the subject of much criticism throughout her career.

O'Connor also struggled with mental health, and she detailed these struggles in her 2021 memoir, Rememberings. 

O'Connor is survived by her two sons, Jake and Yesua, and her daughter, Roisin. Her third son, Shane, died last year, when it is believed that, at the age of 17, he took his own life.