How Did Shane Lunny Die? Sinéad O’Connor Called Her Son The ‘Love Of My Life’
If you’re a fan of the iconic Irish musician Sinéad O’Connor, you might be wondering how did Shane Lunny die?
Sinéad O’Connor died on July 26, 2023, in London, England. The Irish Times was the first outlet to report that Sinéad had passed, with a statement from her family that read: “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.”
More from StyleCaster
Katy Perry Is The Latest Celebrity to Lash Out At 'Naked' Starlets
Lady Gaga Gets Naked For ARTPOP Album Cover, Enlists The Help Of Jeff Koons
Rememberings by Sinead O’Connor
In her memoir Rememberings, she expressed unconditional love for her children. “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,” she wrote. “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 then called her children “unusual, intelligent, loving, compassionate, spiritually advanced, funny, worthwhile, hard-working human beings,” and she “couldn’t be prouder” of them. Shane was Sinéad’s third child with music producer Donal Lunny. She talked about him producing her album and her son in Rememberings. “It was produced by Dónal Lunny, as was my third child, Shane,” she wrote. “If we had not made this album, we would not have made our beautiful son.”
Click here to read the full article.
In her memoir, she called Shane “the child who is most like me, I believe, to look at and by nature.” Just a few days before her death, Sinéad O’Connor tweeted in remembrance of her son. Days before her death, the “Drink Before War” singer posted a tribute to her late son. “Been living as undead night creature since,” his death, she wrote on Twitter. “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.”
So how did Sinéad O’Connor’s son Shane Lunny die? Read more to find out.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available. Call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free and confidential counseling.
How did Shane Lunny die?
How did Shane Lunny die? Shane Lunny died by suicide in January 2022. In January 2022, Sinéad O’Connor’s 17-year-old son (custody of whom she’d lost in 2013) had gone missing after being on suicide watch at Tallaght Hospital. His body was recovered several days later. “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,” O’Connor wrote on social media in tribute to him at the time. “May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace.”
A week after Shane was found dead, O’Connor shared a troubling series of tweets that suggested she was planning on taking her own life. “I’ve decided to follow my son. There is no point living without him. Everything I touch, I ruin. I only stayed for him. And now he’s gone,” she wrote on an unverified Twitter account linked to her official account.
An hour later, she revealed she had admitted herself to hospital. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I am with cops now on way to hospital. I’m sorry I upset everyone,” she posted, adding: “I am lost without my kid and I hate myself. Hospital will help a while. But I’m going to find Shane. This is just a delay.”
During his search, Sinéad tweeted a series of now-deleted tweets pleading her son to return to the Irish police. “This is a message for my son, Shane. Shane, it’s not funny any more all this going missing,” she wrote. “You are scaring the crap out of me. Could you please do the right thing and present yourself at a Gardai station. If you are with Shane please call the Gardai for his safety.”
“Shane, your life is precious,” Sinéad added. “God didn’t chisel that beautiful smile on your beautiful face for nothing. My world would collapse without you. You are my heart. Please don’t stop it from beating. Please don’t harm yourself. Go to the Gardai and let’s get you to hospital.”
She criticized the hospital about how they lost her son “out of their grasp” despite making “two severe suicide attempts” the week prior to him being missing. . She later added how “a seventeen year old traumatised young person WHO WAS ON SUICIDE WATCH” had the ability to allegedly escape the hospital. She tweeted at the time, “Hospital of course so far refusing to take any responsibility. Anything happens to my son on their watch? Lawsuits.”
The impact of Shane’s death had a profound effect on Sinéad. In a video posted to her Facebook weeks before her death, she said, “I look like s*** either way, which is why I didn’t want to make a video … but you know, the way your kid unfortunately passing away it isn’t good for ones body, or soul to be fair.”
In an interview with People, she described Shane as a “real mommy’s boy.” “He just loves his mommy since the day he was born,” she added. Days before her death, she also posted the song “Chenrezi” in tribute, writing, “For all mothers of Suicided children. Great Tibetan Compassion Mantra”
Sinéad herself opened up about her mental health struggles. In an interview with Dr. Phil in 2017, O’Connor revealed she’d attempted suicide no less than eight times in one year after being “flung” into menopause by a “radical” hysterectomy (removal of the uterus). “What kicked all of this off really was, I had a radical hysterectomy in Ireland two years ago and I lost my mind after that,” she said. “And that’s what I think happened with my family, and we have to give my family credit. They’re not here to speak for themselves so I don’t want to disrespect them, but the fact is, they didn’t know who the hell I was.”
She continued: “I was told to leave the hospital two days after the surgery with Tylenol and no hormone replacement and no guidance as to what might happen to me. I was flung into surgical menopause. Hormones were everywhere. I became very suicidal. I was a basket case. After the hysterectomy, I was mental.”
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, help is available. Call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free and confidential counseling.
Rememberings: Scenes from My Complicated Life
Rememberings by Sinead O’Connor
Blessed with a singular voice and a fiery temperament, Sinéad O’Connor rose to massive fame in the late 1980s and 1990s with a string of gold records. By the time she was twenty, she was world-famous—living a rock star life out loud. From her trademark shaved head to her 1992 appearance on Saturday Night Live when she tore up Pope John Paul II’s photograph, Sinéad has fascinated and outraged millions. In Rememberings, O’Connor recounts her painful tale of growing up in Dublin in a dysfunctional, abusive household. Inspired by a brother’s Bob Dylan records, she escaped into music. She relates her early forays with local Irish bands; we see Sinéad completing her first album while eight months pregnant, hanging with Rastas in the East Village, and soar
Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.
Best of StyleCaster
