Sinead O’Connor converts to Islam: We chart the iconic Irish singer’s highs and lows

Irish singer-songwriter Sinead O’Connor has rejected her Catholic past to convert to Islam, changing her name to Shuhada' Davitt.

She announced the news on Twitter, telling fans the conversion was “the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian's journey”.

It's not the first time she has shocked fans having previously ripped up a picture of the Pope and claimed to be a lesbian.

From successes to controversies, we’ve charted the singer’s highs and lows:

Nothing Compares 2 U – 1990

O’Connor achieved worldwide success with her rendition of Prince’s song, earning herself a handful of Number 1’s on singles charts around the world as well becoming the first female artist ever to pick up Video of the Year at the MTV VMAs. The video, which sees O’Connor’s lone face crying into the camera, also won Best Female Video and Best Post-Modern Video before becoming one of the most recognised in history.

Ripping up a picture of the Pope on SNL ​– 1992

O’ Connor shocked Saturday Night Live producers after she tore up an image of Pope John Paul II during an a capella performance of Bob Marley’s War. She whipped the image out as she sang the word “evil” before telling viewers to “fight the real enemy”. Madonna accused her of being “disrespectful” while Joe Pesci said he would have given her “such a smack” had he been hosting.

Sinead V Frank Sinatra – 1990

Sinatra threatened to kick O’Connor’s “ass” after she refused to allow the national anthem to be played ahead of her concert at a New Jersey venue. O’Connor said she “has a policy of not having national anthems played before my concerts in any country, including my own, because they have nothing to do with music in general.” Sinatra took to the same stage the following night, telling the crowd: “I’d like to kick her in the ass!”

O’Connor fired back the following year, telling Esquire: “I can’t hit this man back, he’s like 78 years of age, and I’d probably kill him.”

Ordained as a priest – 1999

O’Connor requested to be called Mother Bernadette Mary after she was ordained as a priest by Bishop Michael Cox of the Irish Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church. O’Connor, who was not officially recognised by the Catholic Church, was later made an Archdeacon after her work with the homeless in Dublin.

Split and got back together with her fourth husband – 2011

O’Connor married Irish therapist Barry Herridge on December 9, 2011 before announcing their split 17 days later on her website. But she later confirmed they had reunited on January 3.

Grammy Awards snub – 1991

O’Connor refused to show up to the annual awards bash despite receiving four nominations for her single, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, on the grounds that awards bosses “respect mostly material gain”. She later said she regretted the decision, telling SPIN: “Quite a lot of the other things—like boycotting the Grammys—I wouldn’t do now because they’re just fucking young moody s***.”

Coming out – 2000

O’Connor described herself as a lesbian in an interview with Curve, before later tweaking her claim, telling Entertainment Weekly: “I’m three-quarters heterosexual, a quarter gay. I lean a bit more towards the hairy blokes.”

Mental health battles – 2017

O’Connor, who suffers from bipolar disorder, sparked worldwide concern after she posted a video of herself in tears at a New Jersey Travelodge, claiming she was ‘fighting to stay alive’. She said she had been “wandering the world by myself” and accused the people “who are supposed to be loving you and taking care of you” of treating her like “s***”.