Who Were Sinéad O’Connor’s 4 Husbands? How Many Kids Did She Have?
Irish music legend Sinéad O’Connor died on July 26, 2023, and she leaves behind a legacy of work that will go down in history. Throughout her lifetime, she had several husbands and children. Here’s what to know about Sinéad O’Connor’s four husbands and four children.
Who were Sinéad O’Connor’s 4 husbands?
Sinéad O’Connor reportedly had four husbands throughout her lifetime.
The “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer tied the knot for the first time in 1987 to John Reynolds. Reynolds worked as a record producer and helped to develop three of O’Connor’s famous albums: The Lion and the Cobra, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, and Universal Mother. The same year she married Reynolds, she gave birth to her first son. Unfortunately, the couple couldn’t make their relationship work and divorced in 1991.
O’Connor tied the knot for the second time to journalist Nick Sommerlad on Aug. 17, 2001. They met at a concert and fell madly in love, marrying just three months after first meeting. Unfortunately, they were only together for 11 months before splitting. A close friend commented on the difficulty of the split for both O’Connor and Sommerlad. O’Connor also allegedly said she’d never marry again.
“Neither Sinead nor Nick are apportioning any blame on each other and are both saddened by the pain that the split caused to themselves, family, and friends,” the friend shared, according to www.sinead-oconnor.com. “They fell madly in love when they first met. Despite the huge love there is between them, they found that having married so early in the relationship was a pressure that neither could cope with. This was on top of the usual pressure of a rock star married to a media figure,” the friend said.
O’Connor’s third marriage was to Steve Cooney. Cooney is a musician of Australian-Irish descent, and he played in O’Connor’s music group as a guitarist. They tied the knot in July 2010 and divorced in April 2011. In the wake of their breakup, O’Connor said strangers commenting on her weight gain strained her marriage. “Steve is lovely so it’s not his fault but mine … it was an extremely happy marriage … I’m heartbroken about it breaking up,” she told the Irish Examiner.
Finally, O’Connor married Irish psychotherapist Barry Herridge. The couple married via a drive-thru wedding in Las Vegas on Dec. 8, 2011, and just 16 days later, they divorced.
O’Connor later noted the “intense pressure” Herridge experienced as her husband quickly became too much for him. “From the moment myself and my husband got together not long ago, there was intense pressure placed upon him by certain people in his life, not to be involved with me,” she wrote, according to The Sun. “Within 3 hours of the ceremony being over, the marriage was kyboshed by the behavior of certain people in my husband’s life.”
Sinéad O’Connor had 4 kids throughout her lifetime
Sinéad O’Connor had four children throughout her lifetime, but they weren’t all with her husbands.
O’Connor’s oldest son, Jake Reynolds, was born on June 16, 1987, and she had him with her first husband, John Reynolds.
She had her second child, Roisin Waters, with journalist John Waters. A problematic custody battle ensued, though O’Connor eventually gave custody of Roisin to John after an attempted suicide.
O’Connor’s third child, Shane Lunny, was born in 2004. His father is Irish singer Donal Lunny. Shane had high hopes of getting into the music industry. Sadly, he died by suicide at age 17. Days before her death, she shared another tribute via Twitter dedicated to Shane. “Been living as undead night creature since his death,” she wrote. “He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul. We were one soul in two halves. He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally. I am lost in the bardo without him.”
Finally, she had her fourth child, Yeshua Bonadio, in 2006 with scientist Frank Bonadio. Bonadio reportedly became interested in music and wanted to come to the U.S. for college. “He’s half American, so he’s interested in going to college in America,” O’Connor said, according to People.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 or 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to speak with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.
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