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Singer Sin\u00e9ad O\u2019Connor<\/a><\/strong> has passed away at the age of 56<\/a>.<\/p>\n The singer was one of the greatest Irish musicians of her generation and was adored by millions of fans around the world.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sin\u00e9ad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time,\u201d the singer\u2019s family said in a statement reported Wednesday by the BBC and RTE.<\/p>\n Her 1990 rendition of Nothing Compares 2 U was a chart topper and earned her three Grammy awards.<\/p>\n She also hit the headlines when in 1992, she ripped up a picture of the Pope live on US television and seven years later, she was ordained as a priest by a breakaway Church in Lourdes.<\/p>\n Later, she converted to Islam and began to wear a hijab.<\/p>\n She described her decision to convert as \u201cthe natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian\u2019s journey.\u201d<\/p>\n In 2015, she became a grandmother after her son Jake\u2019s partner gave birth to a baby boy.<\/p>\n Last year, her life was touched by tragedy when her other son Shane O\u2019Connor passed away at the age of 17.<\/p>\n