Did Prince attack Sinead O'Connor? Late Irish singer alleged he got violent after 'Nothing Compares 2 U' became a hit
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The late Sinead O'Connor's career was full of remarkable talent. Often embroiled in controversies, her infamous feud with Prince remains one of the more peculiar chapters in her troubled life. O'Connor died on July 26, at the age of 56. Her death was confirmed by her family in a statement, but they did not disclose the cause of her passing and requested privacy during this difficult time.
In 1990, O'Connor achieved international stardom with her rendition of 'Nothing Compares 2 U', a song originally written and composed by Prince for his side project, 'The Family', back in 1985. This song catapulted O'Connor to fame, but it also became a focal point of the feud between her and Prince, adding a layer of complexity to her career and personal life.
Did Prince attack Sinead O'Connor?
The 'Nothing Compares 2 U' music video became iconic for its powerful simplicity, mainly featuring a close-up frame of the star with her head shaved, singing with tears streaming down her cheeks. Despite Prince publicly praising her version of the song, O'Connor revealed in various interviews and remarks that the American artist was apparently upset about her success. She claimed that Prince had summoned her to his property in Hollywood and reprimanded her for her achievements.
Over the years, O'Connor made various claims about her interactions with Prince. Among them, she alleged that Prince's butler had pressured her to eat soup against her will and that Prince himself had challenged her to a pillow fight. However, during the pillow fight, Prince allegedly assaulted her with a hard object concealed in the pillow, per Daily Mail. As she attempted to leave the mansion, Prince physically prevented her from doing so and forcibly dragged her towards his car. Feeling alarmed and unsafe, she managed to escape on foot to a neighboring house, where she urgently rang the doorbell for help. She claimed that Prince, fortunately, backed off at that point.
'It's not just drugs he was into...'
However, in a 2004 interview, O'Connor backtracked on her previous claims and described Prince as a "sweet guy." She suggested that the stories about their feud had been exaggerated in the media. However, after Prince's death in 2016 due to a fentanyl overdose, O'Connor's tone seemed to change, and she escalated her verbal attacks against him. During police investigations, she made controversial statements, alleging that Prince was involved in "devil worship" and was a woman-beater. "It's not just drugs he was into, it was darkness," she told investigators from the Carver County Sheriff's Office two weeks after Prince died, in a recorded interview that was later made public.