Sinead O’Connor's music streams jump 2,885% in the US in the wake of her death

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  Acclaimed Irish singer Sinead O’Connor has died at the age of 56, her family said. AP

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  O’Connor was propelled to international stardom in 1990 with her version of Nothing Compares 2 U. The ballad, written by Prince, topped the charts around the world. AFP

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  Born Sinead Marie Bernadette O’Connor in Glenageary, County Dublin, in December 1966, the singer has often shared about her difficult childhood. EPA

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  O'Connor at Lourdes in France in 1999 where she was ordained as a priest in the Latin Tridentine Church and adopted the name Mother Bernadette Mary O'Connor. PA Images

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  In 2018, O'Connor announced that she had converted to Islam, changing her name to Shuhada. EPA

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  O'Connor performs at the Paleo Festival in Nyon, Switzerland in 1997. PA Images

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  The singer with her daughter Roisin during an anti-racism demonstration in Dublin in 2000. PA Images

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  Throughout her career, she recorded 10 solo albums, wrote songs for films and collaborated with other artists, but was also well-known for her controversial outbursts. Reuters

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  At the 17th Rock Oz'Arenes festival in Avenches, Switzerland in 2008. EPA

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  O'Connor at the Positivus Festival in Salacgriva, Latvia, in 2009. Reuters

Streams of Sinead O’Connor’s music rose by 2,885 per cent in the US following her death last month.

According to Billboard, her music was streamed 7.9 million times during the week of July 21 to 27. It was streamed 243,000 times on July 24 and 25 and then rose to 7.3 million in the wake of her death on July 26 and 27.

Her cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U amassed 3.2 million streams alone during the week and was downloaded 10,000 times.

Streaming figures in the UK are yet to be released.

The Grammy award-winning singer, originally from Dublin, died aged 56 after she was found unresponsive at a home in south London last month.

O’Connor, who was propelled to international stardom in 1990 with her version of the hit Nothing Compares 2 U, was also known for taking fierce stances on social and political issues, such as the child abuse scandal in the Catholic Church.

After her death, her music management company, 67 Management, revealed she had been finishing a new album, reviewing tour dates for next year and was also considering “opportunities” around a film of her book before her death.

“Wonderful plans were afoot at this time. Testament and tribute to those who have put their hearts first for Sinead, to whom we are forever grateful,” her management team said in a note shared on its website.

A mural of Sinead O'Connor by artist Emmalene Blake on Dame Lane in Dublin. PA

The news of O'Connor's death sparked a host of tributes from fans and celebrities from around the world, including Scottish singer Annie Lennox, who hailed O’Connor as “bold and beautiful” and a “truth teller” in a poetic tribute.

Irish President Michael Higgins said Ireland has lost "one of our greatest and most gifted composers, songwriters and performers of recent decades".

“The way in which she was able to move across the different forms of the arts was a singular achievement, as was the way her voice went around the world and how it was received.

“Her contribution joins those great achievements of Irish women who contributed to our lives, its culture and its history in their own unique but unforgettable ways."

Singer Yusuf/Cat Stevens referred to her as "sister Shuhada Sadaqat" in his tribute. O'Connor announced that she had converted to Islam in October 2018, adopting a new name.

"She was a tender soul, may God, Most Merciful, grant her everlasting peace," he wrote on Twitter.

Several gatherings have also been held in the days since O’Connor’s death, where members of the public paid tribute to her legacy as a musician and activist.