A video shared on Facebook claims singer Sinead O’Connor issued a “major warning” to Hollywood shortly before her death.
Verdict: False
The video does not include such a warning from O’Connor.
Fact Check:
O’Connor died July 26. 18 months after her son, Shane, took his own life, according to Daily Mail. Bob Geldof, singer-songwriter and longtime friend of O’Connor, revealed that his final texts with her were “laden with desperation and despair and sorrow and some were ecstatically happy,” New York Post reported.
A Facebook video claims O’Connor gave a “major warning” about Hollywood prior to her death. The thumbnail includes images of Oprah Winfrey, the Ku Klux Klan and what appears to be an altered image of O’Connor.
“Sinéad O’Connor SENT MAJOR Warning About Hollywood JUST Before D3ath,” the post reads. The “3” in “death” most likely an attempt to work around censors.
The claim is inaccurate, however. The video appears to have originally been posted to YouTube by a channel called Just In. The description includes the disclaimer, “Content might be gossip, rumors, exaggerated or indirectly besides the truth. Viewer advised to do own research before forming their opinion. Content might be opinionated.” The video’s contents do not match its title, as there is no evidence of such a warning.
The video includes several clips of O’Connor from interviews and other appearances, but none relate to the claim of a warning to Hollywood. The voiceover, a narrator for the channel, does mention some of O’Connor’s concerns which were made very public during her career.
“Many speculate that Sinead’s candid revelations about the music industry being finished, along with the claims of exploitation of young girls for harmful images, have raised questions about the role of Hollywood in her life and death,” the video says. It does not include an actual warning about Hollywood from O’Connor.
One of the many times the singer made her concerns known was during a 1992 SNL performance, as can been seen in a YouTube video from CBC News. During her appearance, she ripped a photo of the pope and said “fight the real enemy.” O’Connor mentions misconduct of the Church, including victims of molestations by priests in an interview about the moment.
Check Your Fact found no credible news reports to corroborate the claim. (RELATED: Did Sinead O’Connor Tell Piers Morgan He Is Irresistibly Tempted By Meghan Markle?)
Check Your Fact has reached out to Just In for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received from any of these sources.