Dolores O’Riordan, the singer and longtime frontwoman of the Irish rock band The Cranberries, died January 15, 2018, as a result of an accidental drowning in her hotel room bath. The cause of death was finally revealed on September 6 by the Westminster Coroner’s Court in London, where the 46-year-old had been working on a recording session.
The inquest described her death as accidental “drowning due to alcohol intoxication.” She did not leave a note. The report was revealed on the day O’Riordan would have turned 47.
The singer was known for her lush, emotive vocals. On January 15, 2019, exactly one year after her passing, the Cranberries released the first single, “All Over Now,” from the band’s eighth and final album, In the End, via BMG. The song features O’Riordan’s vocals from demos she had recorded in 2017.
Her publicity firm broke the news of her passing with a brief statement: “Irish and international singer Dolores O’Riordan has died suddenly in London today. The lead singer with the Irish band The Cranberries was in London for a short recording session. No further details are available at this time.
“Family members are devastated to hear the breaking news and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
Fellow Irish rockers U2 wrote on their Facebook page: “The band are floored but it’s of course her family we’re all thinking of right now. Out of the West came this storm of a voice – she had such strength of conviction yet she could speak to the fragility in all of us. Limerick’s ‘Bel canto’.” Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry.
Related: The Cranberries, U2 lead tributes
O’Riordan was born on September 6, 1971, in County Limerick, Ireland, the youngest of seven children. In 1989, she formed the Cranberries with guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler. The band went on to earn four Top 10 singles in Ireland and four Top 20 U.K. hits. Their biggest U.S. hit was 1993’s “Linger,” written by O’Riordan and Noel Hogan, which reached #8. “Zombie,” penned by O’Riordan, was also a big success throughout the world when it was released in 1994.
Listen to the Cranberries perform “Zombie” on MTV Unplugged in 1995
Their first single, 1992’s “Dreams,” also written by the pair, was not a hit when it was first released but O’Riordan’s beautiful vocal has since made the song one of the band’s signature songs.
She was just 21-years-old when the song was released. What a vocal!
The Cranberries’ albums earned far greater success: 1993’s Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We was a huge, worldwide success, selling over five million copies in the U.S alone. The follow-up, 1994’s No Need To Argue, was even more successful, with seven million copies sold in the U.S. and platinum certifications in the U.K., Australia, Canada and numerous other countries. 1996’s To The Faithful Departed reached #1 in Ireland, and continued the band’s hot streak. The group has sold a reported 40 million records worldwide. Their music is available to order in the U.S. here and the U.K. here.
O’Riordan released her debut solo album, Are You Listening?, in 2007, and followed it with No Baggage in 2009. In 2016, she began a new collaboration called D.A.R.K. with Smiths bassist Andy Rourke and New York DJ Olé Koretsky. That same year, she suffered an acute back injury that caused her to postpone dates she had planned with the Cranberries.
