Singer Sinead O'Connor dies aged 56

Irish singer Sinead O'Connor, known for topping the charts around the world with the 1990 song "Nothing Compares 2 U", has died at the age of 56, Irish national broadcaster RTE quoted her family as saying on Wednesday.

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinead. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time," RTE quoted a statement from the singer's family as saying.

She crashed onto the global music scene with her mesmerising version of the song originally written by Prince, facing directly into the camera for the music video that has subsequently been viewed almost 400 million times on YouTube.

Brash and outspoken - her shaved head, pained expression, and shapeless wardrobe a direct challenge to popular culture's long-prevailing notions of femininity – O'Connor changed the image of women in music in the early 1990s.

"Her music was loved around the world and her talent was unmatched and beyond compare," Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar posted on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, sharing his condolences with "all who loved her music".