Sinéad O'Connor Left Her Kids Instructions in the Event of Her Death

Sinéad O'Connor died this week, and the Irish singer left her kids instructions in the event of her death. Revisiting a past interview with the music icon, PEOPLE shared that O'Conner made it clear what she wanted her children to do when she died... call her accountant. Then call 911.

"See, when the artists are dead, they're much more valuable than when they're alive. Tupac has released way more albums since he died than he ever did alive, so it's kind of gross what record companies do," she told the outlet in 2021. O'Connor added, "That's why I've always instructed my children since they were very small, 'If your mother drops dead tomorrow, before you called 911, call my accountant and make sure the record companies don't start releasing my records and not telling you where the money is.'" 

O'Connor's passing was first reported on Wednesday, July 26. The singer was 56 years old at the time of her death. The Irish Times reported the sad news but did not provide a cause of death. O'Connor is survived by three children, though her death comes more than a year after the tragic passing of her 17-year-old son, Shane.

Born in Dublin, Ireland in 1966, O'Connor grew up one of five children. Sadly, she lost her mother to a car accident in 1985 just before her music career took off. In the 1990s, O'Connor soared to stardom with her song "Nothing Compares 2 U," originally written by Prince. The track was a massive hit and launched to the top of the charts around the world. Throughout her many years in the music industry, O'Connor released 11 studio albums, with a 12th reportedly finished prior to her death.

O'Connor had a deeply compelling musical career and was occasionally the center of controversy over her strong opinions. Perhaps the most widely-known instance came when she tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live. The show's staff had no prior knowledge she intended to do this, and she later stated she meant it as a protest against the Catholic Church refusing to address priests abusing children. Many years later, the Pope would publicly acknowledge that the church had been aware of the abuse.

As previously noted, O'Connor's death comes more than a year after her son Shane died by suicide in January 2022. The unimaginable loss was understandably hard on O'Connor and, at one point, she tweeted out a photo of the two of them and wrote alongside it: "Been living as undead night creature since. . 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. I am lost in the bardo without him."