Days after Sinéad O'Connor's unexpected death at the age of 56, the world is still mourning the singer. And now, an interview she did with People magazine in 2021 is becoming especially relevant — especially since she revealed that she gave her kids instructions for what to do after her death.
More from CafeMom: Khloé Kardashian Was 'Utterly Betrayed' by Kylie Jenner
Sinéad told her kids that if she died, they should call her accountant before 911.
Sinéad told her four children — Shane, who died by suicide in 2022, along with Jake, Roisin, and Jeshua — that she was concerned that she'd suddenly become "valuable" in her death, like she's seen happen to other artists.
"See, when the artists are dead, they're much more valuable than when they're alive," she told People. "Tupac has released way more albums since he died than he ever did alive, so it's kind of gross what record companies do."
She wanted to protect her money for the sake of her children.
"That's why I've always instructed my children since they were very small, '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 and not telling you where the money is,'" she said.
It makes sense, considering the fact that posthumous album releases seem to be becoming more and more popular.
She was concerned that her music would meet the same fate as Prince's did.
"One of the things that's a great bugbear with me, I get very angry when I think of it, is the fact that they're raping his vault," she said in the interview. "All musicians, we have songs that we really are embarrassed about that are crap. We don't want anyone hearing them. Now this is a man who released every song he ever recorded, so if he went to the trouble of building a vault, which is a pretty strong thing to do, that means he really did not want these songs released. And I can't stand that people are, as I put it, raping the vault."
Several albums have been released since Prince died in 2016, and it seems like Sinéad was not interested in record labels doing the same with her work.
News broke that Sinéad had died on Wednesday.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad," her family wrote in a statement published by RTE. "Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."
So far, no other details about her death have been made public.
More from CafeMom: Daniel Radcliffe Spotted Babywearing Newborn at Actors' Strike
Hopefully, Sinéad's wishes will be respected.
No matter what happens next, it's clear that Sinéad's passing has made a major impact on her fans, who are continuing to grieve the singer.
We're thinking of her family — and hoping that they get as much privacy as they need as they navigate this difficult time.
