Following the tragic death of Irish musician Sinéad O'Connor in July, her children and the extended family thanked "countless kind people" whose support "is much appreciated."
O'Connor's surviving children, Jake, Róisín, and Yeshua, along with her extended family, have released a statement a month after her untimely death to thank the public and well-wishers for their support during their time of grief.
The notice, published in the Irish Times, said: “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. Their helpful support for the family is much appreciated."
The statement went on to name those who helped and supported them over the last month. They include the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, and his wife Sabina and An Taoiseach (Irish leader) Leo Varadkar "for their attendance at the funeral service."
They thanked those who had been involved in O'Connor's, Aug 8, funeral in Deansgrange Cemetery, in Dublin, including Dingle Druid Juli Ní Mhaoileóin for leading the funeral service, Iman Shaykh Dr. Umar Al-Qadri and his colleagues for the Muslim prayers and blessings. The musicians who performed over the day were also thanked including Pauline Scanlon, Éamonn De Barra, Donogh Hennessy, Síle Denvir, Nicola Joyce, Noriana Kennedy, Éilis Kennedy, and Damien Dempsey.
While the funeral service was private, the statement revealed that a "gathering" of friends and family on the day of her funeral was a continuation of the celebration of her life.
"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.
Her family also thanked Colliers Funeral Directors and the Kevin Bell Repatriation Trust who facilitated the bringing home of O'Connor’s body to Ireland.
Crowds in Sinead O'Connor's hometown of Bray, County Wicklow, surround her hearse on Aug 8.
Their statement ended by thanking "the media personnel in general at home and abroad who celebrated Sinéad 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."
O'Connor's death was confirmed by her family on July 26, 2023. The Irish musician and activist was 56 years old.
While an autopsy has been carried out, the coroners are yet to release a cause of death. The Metropolitan police released a statement on July 27 saying O'Connor's death is not being treated as suspicious.
In the wake of O'Connor's death, an international outpouring of grief for the Grammy-winning musician occurred. IrishCentral, and their partners Chptr, asked our readers to submit their own tributes to the great Irish talent.
The video below shows a summary of their moving responses:
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