Sinead O'Connor gives son 'lovely Hindu send-off' days after his death

The Irish musician lost her son, 17, in early January

Sinead O'Connor's son, Shane, was found dead in Ireland on January 7, after the 'Nothing Compares 2 U' singer notified authorities that he had gone missing. AP
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Sinead O'Connor has had a "very lovely Hindu ceremony" for her son Shane, who died earlier this month.

On Saturday, the Irish musician, who changed her name to Shuhada Davitt in 2018 after converting to Islam, described the ceremony on an unverified Twitter account believed to be that of the Nothing Compares 2 U singer.

"We just said goodbye to our beautiful angel, Shaney," she wrote. "Shane will have loved it. He was always chanting 'Om. Shanti.'"

Shane, who went missing earlier in January, died aged 17. Officers in Ireland recovered the body in the Bray area of Wicklow on January 7.

At the time, O'Connor posted an emotional tribute to her son on Twitter, writing: “My beautiful son, Nevi’im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God.

“May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example.

“My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace.”

Days after his death, O'Connor, who has spoken openly about her mental illness diagnoses in the past, was admitted to hospital. In a series of tweets posted on Thursday, which have since been deleted, the singer said she was being escorted to hospital by police.

She said Shane's death had left her feeling “lost”, also detailing how she was struggling not to blame herself for his death.

She later apologised for her remarks and revealed she was on her way to the hospital for “help”. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I am with cops now on way to hospital,” she wrote.

“I’m sorry I upset everyone. I am lost without my kid and hate myself. Hospital will help a while.”

The singer had also criticised the Irish health service HSE and child and family agency Tusla for what she believed were their roles in Shane's death, but then later apologised for "lashing out" on social media.

In a second post after Shane's Hindu ceremony, O'Connor wrote: "I’ve been playing this mantra for Shaney all week. Only this morning did I notice the date it was uploaded to YouTube. March 10. That was Shane’s birthday."

Updated: January 16, 2022, 8:53 AM