Sinéad O’Connor had four partners and her first husband was John Reynolds. Here’s everything to know about him.
Sinéad O’Connor had several memorable relationships throughout her life.
The Irish singer-songwriter — who died on July 26 at age 56 — was married four times, tying the knot for the first time with drummer John Reynolds in 1987, with whom she welcomed her first child, son Jake.
Between marriages, the “Nothing Compares 2 U” singer engaged in several other relationships and welcomed three more children. She had a daughter named Roisin with John Waters, a son named Shane with Donal Lunny (who died at age 17 by suicide in 2022), and a son named Yeshua with Frank Bonadio.
O’Connor’s final marriage was to psychotherapist Barry Herridge, a marriage that infamously ended 16 days after tying the knot in 2011. The musician opened up to the Irish Sun in 2014, revealing, “I wish I hadn’t ever got married.”
“Silly cow. Four times,” she continued. “What a t—t. Now I can’t ever get married once and properly. Anyway, I look stupid in dresses. And clearly, I’m a crap wife.”
After three decades of dealing with public opinion, she decided to keep her romances private after her fourth marriage — in part due to the media, which scrutinized her and her partner’s personal life and actions.
“The behaviour of one particular paper resulted in very serious damage to my husband and myself personally and consequently made the marriage untenable so that it is now over and I hope the media will kindly leave the poor man alone to get on with his life,” she wrote on her website in 2012.
But who is the late singer’s first husband John Reynolds? Read on for more.
Who is John Reynolds?
O’Connor’s first husband was John Reynolds. They tied the knot in 1987 and had one child together, a son named Jake.
A musician in his own right, Reynolds doubled as a drummer and music producer. In fact, he collaborated with O’Connor on several of her albums, including her first, The Lion and the Cobra, released in October of that year.
Reynolds joined forces with O’Connor on a number of other records. Among them include I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got in 1990 and Universal Mother in 1994. He also drummed for O’Connor’s band on her 2013 tour.
O’Connor and Reynolds ended their marriage in 1991. In July 2015, the Irish artist announced that she became a grandmother at age 48 after her son Jake welcomed his first baby.
In May 2016, O’Connor penned a scathing open letter to her ex-husband and their child on Facebook, following a mysterious alleged disappearance in a Chicago suburb earlier the same day.
The note was one of the many alarming posts penned by O’Connor, who opened up about her struggles with mental illness and depression on multiple occasions.
Below are more pictures of Sinead O’Connor and John Reynolds
