Sinead O’Connor Says Her Teen Son Is Dead After Disappearing
The singer tweeted that the 17-year-old “decided to end his earthly struggle today.”
Fred Tanneau/AFP via Getty
Sinead O’Connor says her teenage son, Shane, is dead two days after he went missing while under suicide watch in an Irish hospital.
In a tweet, the singer said the 17-year-old “decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God. May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example.”
Shane was O’Connor’s son with Irish folk musician Donald Lunny. She revealed that seven days ago he made “two severe suicide attempts” and was being treated at Tallaght University Hospital in Dublin.
If you or a loved one are struggling with suicidal thoughts, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741
On Thursday, after he disappeared from the hospital, she tweeted out a direct plea to him: “This is a message for my son, Shane. Shane, it’s not funny any more all this going missing. 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.”
Gardai, the Irish police, said they were looking for Shane. And O’Connor—who has bipolar disorder and has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals herself—continued to beg for him to return.
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“Shane, your life is precious. 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 tweeted.
— Sinead The 1 And Only (@OhSineady) January 8, 2022
The “Nothing Compares to U” singer also vented her anger that Shane had been able to leave the hospital.
“Like, how has a seventeen year old traumatised young person WHO WAS ON SUICIDE WATCH in Tallaght Hosptial’s Lynn Ward been able to go missing???” she fumed. “Hospital of course so far refusing to take any responsibility. Anything happens to my son on their watch? Lawsuits.”
After she finally tweeted about the sad outcome, she continued to rail at authorities.
“26 hours after my son died in the so called care of the Irish State in the form of Tusla,” she tweeted, referring to Ireland’s child protective service.
“I have yet to receive any contact from Tusla or their representatives. I was informed by Gardai of my son’s death and later I spoke with the GAL. No contact from Tusla is unacceptable.”
A spokesperson for the police confirmed the teen’s death in comments to the Irish Mirror: “Following the recovery of a body in the Bray area of Wicklow on Friday 7 January 2022, a missing person appeal in respect of Shane O’Connor, 17 years, has been stood down.”
It’s still unclear where and when Shane died. O’Connor called him “the very light of my life.”
“My baby. I love you so much,” she tweeted. “Please be at peace.”
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