Just months before her sudden death at age 56, Sinéad O’Connor was pictured beaming from ear to ear while receiving an award at a ceremony in Ireland.
The “Nothing Compares 2 U” hitmaker’s untimely death was announced by her “heartbroken” family in a statement Wednesday.
Her cause of death is unknown at this time.
But just months before the tragic news came to light, the Irish legend waved at a packed room full of fans as she smiled while stood on a podium.
O’Connor scooped the Classic Irish Album award at the RTÉ Choice Music Prize in her homeland’s capital city of Dublin in March 2023.
She scooped the gong for her 1990 album “I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got.”
The judging panel called it “a stunning body of work by an Irish artist, scorching with originality in songs that are as resonant today as they were more than 30 years ago.”
It was the last time she was seen in public.
Just days before her death, O’Connor tweeted out a tribute to her late son, Shane, on July 17.
“For all mothers of Suicided children,” she wrote in the caption, accompanied by the song’s link on Spotify. “Great Tibetan Compassion Mantra.”
She tragically lost her 17-year-old son to suicide after he was reported missing from a suicide watch at an Irish hospital last year.
On her Twitter account, the singer paid many a tribute to her late son, including one emotional message that was posted earlier that day.
She had replied to a tweet that asked users to tell them how their life was going with emojis. “😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 #lostmy17yrOldSonToSuicidein2022,” O’Connor wrote in the message, which was accompanied by a photo of her embracing her late son.
“Been living as undead night creature since,” she continued.
“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.”
Bardo is a seeming reference to the Buddhist philosophy that addresses the transitions of life, death and rebirth.
After losing her son, O’Connor was hospitalized in July 2022 after she posted a number of “harrowing” messages that suggested she planned to “follow” her son.
“I’ve decided to follow my son. There is no point living without him,” she said of Shane in a moment of intense grief. “I only stayed for him. And now he’s gone.”
She later assured fans she was fine, writing in a now-deleted tweet, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that … I’m sorry I upset everyone. I am lost without my kid and I hate myself. Hospital will help a while.”
Also on July 17, she tweeted out links to three songs by Curtis Mayfield, “Here But I’m Gone,” “New World Order,” and “No One Knows About a Good Thing — You Don’t Have to Cry.”
She also shared another song recorded by Al Green, “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart.”