How many children did Sinéad O’Connor have? Late singer leaves message for her children in her will

The Irish singer-songwriter Sinéad O’Connor, who sang hits like Nothing Compares 2 U, was a devoted mother of four. The Grammy-winning artist passed away at the age of 56 in the year 2023. Recent reports online state that she had left special instructions in the will addressing her children.

Sinéad O’Connor’s will, which was signed in 2013 before she converted to Islam in 2018, offers insights into her love and care for her children and a legal plan to provide for their future. According to Irish probate records, she left her estate of £1.4 million in the name of her children.

Perhaps the most noteworthy directive in her will was that her kids had to get full use of her unreleased music.

O’Connor requested specifically that her albums be released “to milk it for what it’s worth.” She noted the exploitative tendency of the music business and expressed a desire for her children to receive the financial benefits of her artistic legacy.

O’Connor had joked in a 2021 interview with People that in the event of her death, her children should resolve financial matters before calling emergency services. She said:

"If your mother drops dead tomorrow, before you called 911, call my accountant and make sure the record companies don’t start releasing my records."

Sinéad O’Connor also left sentimental objects to her children. Her religious garb was given to her son Shane, who tragically passed away in 2022, while her guitar collection was bestowed upon her son Yeshua. She also noted that her ashes could be dispensed as they saw fit, giving her children full power over where they would put her after her death.

More about Sinéad O’Connor’s motherhood and her children

Sinéad O’Connor’s children were a central part of her life; she often spoke proudly and lovingly about them. She is survived by three children from different relationships: Jake Reynolds, Roisin Waters, and Yeshua Bonadio.

O’Connor’s first,Jake Reynolds, was born in 1987 when she was married to music producer John Reynolds. Jake has now built a career as a chef. O’Connor became a grandmother in 2015 when Jake and his partner, Lia, had a baby boy.

Roisin, O’Connor’s only daughter, was born in 1996 during her relationship with journalist John Waters. After a custody fight in the late 1990s, Roisin lived with her father. Born in 2004, Shane was O’Connor’s third child, whom she had with the Irish musician Donal Lunny.

Shane developed a keen interest in music and writing at an early age, and O’Connor once called him “a brilliant wordsmith.” Sadly, Shane died by suicide in January 2022 at the age of 17.

Sinéad O’Connor’s youngest child, Yeshua, was born in 2006, from her relationship with Frank Bonadio. Yeshua was 18 at the time of her death. According to People, Yeshua, like his mother, loves music and is also talented at playing piano and singing.