Surprising Link Between Sinead O'Connor and Dolores O'Riordan

After the passing of iconic Irish singer Sinéad O'Connor, another famous Irish singer's family shared a tribute that revealed a surprising connection between the two.

In a tribute to O'Connor posted by the family of Dolores O'Riordan on Facebook, O'Riordan's loved ones revealed the late Cranberries' vocalist's emotional link to the "Nothing Compares 2 U" musician.

"We are deeply saddened at the loss of one of the greatest singers, songwriters and performers of all time in Sinéad O’Connor. Dolores was a fan from her teenage years and was greatly inspired by Sinéad. Indeed she covered one of Sinéad’s songs when she first met and auditioned for Fergal [Lawler], Noel [Hogan] and Mike [Hogan], subsequently joining them to form The Cranberries," O'Riordan's family revealed.

"Our sincere condolences to Sinéad’s family and loved ones. May she rest in peace," the family added.

In a 2018 interview with Rolling Stone, Cranberries guitarist Noel Hogan recalled O'Riordan's fateful 1990 audition.

"I can still remember it like it was yesterday. It was a Sunday afternoon ... I remember she was shy, very soft-spoken. A very quiet country girl. Not the Dolores that everyone grew to know. And she comes in and we’re just kind of a gang of young guys sitting around the place. It must have been very, very intimidating for her," Hogan shared of the then-19-year-old O'Riordan.

"But she sang a couple of songs that she had written herself, and she did a Sinéad O’Connor song, 'Troy.' The minute she sang, you know, it was like your jaw drops at her voice," he added.

O'Connor released "Troy" in 1987 as her debut single off her first studio album, The Lion and the Cobra. The song was inspired by the William Butler Yeats poem "No Second Troy."

Watch Sinéad O'Connor's "Troy" Music Video:

Over their career, The Cranberries released hit singles such as "Zombie," "Linger" and more, as well as a total of eight studio albums. Their last album, 2019's In the End, was released after O'Riordan's death. The group has since disbanded.

O'Riordan died on Jan. 15, 2018 in London. She was 46.

O'Connor died on July 26 in London. She was 56. U.K. police have deemed O'Connor's death not suspicious.