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Sinéad O’Connor's kids and family are thanking people for their support in the month following the musician's death.
In a statement to The Irish Times, O'Connor's children spoke out about their "sorrow" and shared an update about her funeral and final resting place. O'Connor's death at age 56 was confirmed by her family on July 26.
"The children of Sinéad together with Sinéad’s extended family wish to thank the countless kind people who sympathized and offered condolences on Sinéad’s recent passing," the statement began. "Their helpful support for the family is much appreciated."
The statement continues by individually thanking people who had been present and contributed to O'Connor's Aug. 8 funeral at the Garden in Deansgrange Cemetery, including President of Ireland Michael D. Higgins and his wife, Sabina Coyne.
"The family gathering in the afternoon was in Powerscourt House where management and staff were excellent in every respect and Sinéad’s life was celebrated there by a host of her friends in music who helped to ease the burden of sorrow at Sinéad’s passing," the statement continues, also thanking Colliers Funeral Directors and the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust who "facilitated the bringing home of Sinéad’s body to Ireland."
The family concluded by thanking the media at home and abroad who celebrated the artist "in song and story while showing respect for the privacy requested by the family."
"We ask that this privacy continue to be respected. Finally, we wish to thank Sinéad’s fans and admirers for the wonderful funeral procession they gave her past her old home in Bray and for the national and international outpouring of love and affection for Sinéad from the time of her passing. The prayers and thanks of the extended O’Connor family are with you all," it stated.
When O'Connor rose to pop stardom with the 1987 release of her debut album, "The Lion and the Cobra," the young Dublin-born musician, then just 20, was already a mom to oldest son Jake.
The "Nothing Compares 2 U" singer welcomed Jake with her first husband, John Reynolds. She went on to welcome two more sons, Shane Lunny, with Irish folk musician Donal Lunny, and Yeshua Bonadio with American businessman Frank Bonadio, and a daughter, Roisin Waters, with journalist John Waters.
“I have four children by four different fathers, only one of whom I married, and I married three other men, none of whom are the fathers of my children," O'Connor quipped in her 2021 memoir "Rememberings."
"People always want to know why I have four children with four different men. I tell them it just happened that way. It wasn't something I planned, but I didn't feel like I had to get married for the sake of having a child," she wrote.
In her memoir, she called her kids, “unusual, intelligent, loving, compassionate, spiritually advanced, funny, worthwhile, hard-working human beings,” and she “couldn’t be prouder” of them.
She continued, “If I have no other purpose in this life other than to put these four children on the earth, well, that’s enough for me to feel like I did something useful in this world.”
In January 2022, O'Connor mourned the death of 17-year-old Shane, who died by suicide.
Jake Reynolds
O'Connor was 20 when she and her first husband, music producer John Reynolds, welcomed her first child, son Jake Reynolds, three weeks before the 1987 release of her debut album, O'Connor wrote in "Rememberings."
"Having Jake when I was very young had benefits, especially in that we were the best of friends. As he grew older, we became closer. We were often more like friends than mother and son, which I supposed is not necessarily always a good thing, but we had a very beautiful relationship," she wrote.
Jake Reynolds works as a head chef in a Dublin restaurant and has two children.
Roisin Waters
After the "Black Boys on Mopeds" singer and John Reynolds ended their marriage, she went on to date Irish journalist John Waters. The former couple welcomed a daughter, Roisin Waters, in 1995.
Roisin Waters works as a pastry chef, O'Connor noted in her memoir.
Shane Lunny
O'Connor welcomed son Shane O'Connor, whom she called an "extremely special character" and a "genius" in her memoir, with Irish folk musician Donal Lunny in 2004.
"He is the child who is most like me, I believe, to look at and by nature," she wrote in her memoir.
In 2015, amid a custody with Lunny, O’Connor, who revealed in 2007 that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, posted on her Facebook page that she had taken an overdose, according to Variety.
Irish police later located O’Connor and announced that she was “safe and sound” and receiving medical attention.
In August 2017, the singer posted an emotional video on Facebook revealing that she was distraught over losing custody of then 13-year-old Shane, according to Variety. The singer stated at the time that she had wanted to end her life for several years and was only kept alive by her psychiatrists and doctor.
In January 2022, O'Connor announced on Twitter that Shane had died by suicide days after being released from a Dublin hospital where he was on suicide watch, said O'Connor.
“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,” she wrote.“May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace.”
Yeshua Bonadio
In December 2006, O'Connor gave birth to her youngest son, Yeshua, whose father is her former partner Frank Bonadio. O'Connor said she was rendered "speechless" by hearing her son Yeshua play piano, calling him a "phenomenal musical talent."