I think that when a famous person was known to have some mental health issues at times in her/his life it is diplomatic and reassuring to release a media statement confirming that the death was by natural causes. I was relieved to hear that Sinéad O'Connor's death was due to natural causes because she had a few rocky patches in her life and I respected the risks she took by standing up for her beliefs so strongly.

Thanks Tattie Bogle for your professional knowledge. It makes sense that the cause of death stated on a death certificate would have to be medically specific but it does not have to be revealed to the general public via the media.