LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: The grieving family members of Sinead O'Connor have finally received her body after an autopsy was carried out on the late singer. The songwriter was 56 when she took her last breath on July 26 in London, leaving his fans across the world in shock. After her death, a statement was issued that read, “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
As per John Thompson, the clerk of the London Inner South district for Southwark Coroners Court, who spoke with The Irish Times, the “autopsy was conducted to secure a medical cause of death.” However, its result won’t probably be out “for some weeks”, Thompson said citing the senior coroner, Andrew Harris.
When is Sinead O'Connor’s funeral?
The details about the funeral of O'Connor have not been shared yet. However, according to Dr Ali Selim of Dublin’s Islamic Cultural Centre, the ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ hitmaker will probably get an Islamic funeral since she converted to Islam a few years ago.
“Of course, if she is Muslim and it is approved by her family, I would be delighted to facilitate Islamic funeral procedures for her. She did embrace Islam and she was very proud of being a Muslim. She spoke publicly about embracing Islam. I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere condolences to all her family members. It was a very sad moment to read the news that she had passed away,” Dr Selim reportedly shared.
‘The body will be brought to the prayer hall’
He then went on to explain the way the funeral will proceed if done according to Islamic tradition. Dr Selim noted, “If the funeral is to be done according to the Islamic way, the body will be delivered here to the ICI (Islamic Cultural Centre). Everything that happens in the ICI is free of charge. What will happen if the body is brought here, she will be washed and shrouded. That is done by female members of staff. From a Muslim point of view, we believe that if a person passes away, the body is still respected and handled the same way it would be handled when the person was alive.”
“The body will be brought to the prayer hall. Funeral prayer would be offered and then the body would be transferred to the Muslim cemetery in Newcastle where we would have prayers and wish her rest in peace. The funeral prayer takes about 10 minutes. What happens is if Sinead is brought here, after the prayer there will be time to offer condolences to her family members. After preparing the body, if the family would like to spend some time with her, there is a room where that can be facilitated. That is usually done before the funeral prayer," he added.
