Two tears roll down her cheeks. An angelic face. An unearthly voice. Vulnerable pain and rage laid bare. Sinead O'Connor's extraordinary cover of Prince's Nothing Compares 2 U was the perfect song that made her famous.

The Irish musician died last week, aged 56. Friends and fans remember a fearless trailblazer. With her unique voice, brazen skinhead and outspoken views, she had "astounding presence," says singer Alison Moyet.

But O'Connor also struggled with her mental health. In recent years, she was diagnosed with complex post-traumatic stress disorderA mental health condition caused by a traumatic, shocking or scary event. Any situation that someone finds traumatic can cause PTSD. and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital. Interviewing her during this period, Simon Hattenstone remembers her "intelligence and madness were inseparable".

O'Connor said thoughts of her deceased mother triggered the real tears shed in her iconic 1990 music video. O'Connor grew up in Dublin and her parents split when she was eight. She alleged her mother abused her and encouraged her to shoplift.

Her stealing led her at age 14 to a Magdalene asylum. These institutions were linked to the Catholic ChurchThe word Catholic means "universal". A Christian denomination with over a billion followers worldwide, led by the Pope. and were later exposed as centres of abuse against women and girls. However, for O'Connor, it was a turning point: a kindly nun gave her a guitar and nudged her towards a career in music.

The nuns belonged to the Order of Our Lady of Charity. Christian teaching emphasises three virtues: faith, hope and charity - the third being "the greatest", according to Saint Paul. Charity is unconditional and selfless and the highest form of love.

Arguably O'Connor demonstrated this love in her tireless support of social causes, from anti-racism to LGBTQ+ rights and HIVA virus that damages your immune system. awareness. She was a reluctant celebrity who saw herself as a "protest singer". Music as a means of making the world a better place.

You can do good things occasionally, said writer and activist Maya Angelou. To do so "time after time" takes courage. For many, Sinead O'Connor's most inspirational quality was her bravery in risking her career and well-being to oppose cruelty and injustice.

In 1992 she tore up a photo of the popeThe bishop of Rome and the head of the worldwide Catholic Church. live on US television. It was a protest against child abuse within the Catholic Church. She faced an immediate backlash, booed on stage and blacklisted off the airwaves. She never regained the commercial success of her earlier work.

And yet her punkA subculture centred around a loud and fast-moving type of music popular in the 1970s. spirit lived on. "She did not compromise," says musician Tim Burgess. She carried on asking difficult questions. She did not hide away but risked ridicule and personal attacks in the media.

This enraged singer-songwriter Morrissey. "You praise her now only because it is too late," he told the press. "You hadn't the guts to support her when she was alive." Instead of calling her "mad", commentators should have respected her courage and insight.

In 2018, Pope Francis begged forgiveness for the "crimes" of the Catholic Church in Ireland. O'Connor had been right. "She was decades before her time," wrote journalist Caitlin Moran, "Rest in power, queen."

Yes: Faith, hope and charity are all very well - but you need a punk attitude to change the world. "The people who run the music industry," wrote O'Connor, are "frightened" of music and what it can do.

No: Courage is not a virtue on its own. You can be brave and bold and very wrong. Courageous people also need to be wise and kind otherwise their fearless actions will be foolish and even harmful.

Or... There is no greatest virtue. Sometimes we need patience, other times it is best to act. Bravery can get us into trouble and so can love. We need different skills and we need to know when to use them.