Adele Bertei Accuses David Holmes of Exploiting Sinéad O’Connor’s Memory

Adele Bertei has hit out at the recent social media posts made by producer David Holmes regarding Sinéad O’Connor’s final album, accusing him of “exploiting” the late singer’s memory. The controversy stems from an update Holmes shared on Instagram over the weekend, marking the third anniversary of O’Connor’s death and revealing details about their collaborative project, No Veteran Dies Alone.

Holmes, who worked with the singer during the final years of her career, shared screenshots of text messages he received from O’Connor. In the messages, the singer praised the record, stating it was “so good” and expressing a desire to “make records together until one of us croaks.” In his caption, Holmes noted his uncertainty regarding whether the album would ever be released, describing the work as “a stone cold classic” and “a love letter to her children and the world.”

However, author and musician Adele Bertei has challenged this narrative. Taking to Instagram, the author of Sinéad O’Connor’s Universal Mother claimed that O’Connor was “furious” and alleged that the singer had actually “dumped” Holmes from the project due to dissatisfaction with his production work.

“Go ahead, call me nuts. But I can tell you this: the undignified ‘producer’ David Holmes is exploiting her memory right now on socials and she wants you to know what’s up,” Bertei wrote. She acknowledged that while Holmes did record early tracks for the album, he failed to mention that O’Connor had moved on from his production style.

BREAKING NEWS: author Adele Bertei claims, on her IG, that David Holmes, the alleged producer of Sinéad’s last album, is acting in bad faith publicly. She says he’s not the one behind the project – Sinéad started the production with Holmes but eventually dumped him. 🗣🗣🗣 pic.twitter.com/RqA00Yfdas

— Sinéad O’Connor Archive (@ArchiveSinead) July 30, 2026

Bertei urged fans not to be misled by the narrative that the album is being “egregiously withheld” by outside forces, suggesting that while the music is “beyond magnificent,” she takes issue with Holmes claiming sole credit for the project. Regarding a potential release, Bertei stated that the album could be shared by O’Connor’s “most anointed of all shepherds” when the timing is appropriate.

NME has reached out to a spokesperson for Holmes for comment. O’Connor, who passed away in July 2023 at the age of 56, remains one of Ireland’s most influential artists, with her legacy continuing to be celebrated globally.