ON Saturday, Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor took to Twitter to reveal the sudden death of her 17-year-old son.
The 55-year-old musician wrote: “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.”
The painful news marks the end of a tumultuous week for the musician, after her son, whom she had by Irish folk musician Donal Lunny, was admitted to a Dublin hospital just before the new year following multiple attempts to end his life.
The teen escaped from the hospital on Thursday, prompting O’Connor to post a plea on Twitter for him to return, and for the public’s help in finding him.
“Shane, your life is precious,” she begged her son. “My world would collapse without you. You are my heart. Please don’t stop it from beating.”
Following two days of searching by the authorities, his body was found in a town 20km from Dublin.
A heartbroken O’Connor – who converted to Islam in 2018 – ended her tribute to her son with: “May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace.”
O’Connor herself has been open about her own struggles with mental health issues in the past, and her fans immediately reached out to the grief-stricken singer with messages of condolence and comfort.
In her most recent posts, O’Connor questioned how her vulnerable son could have escaped from the hospital while under suicide watch, and demanded answers from authorities.
