Cranberries singer dies suddenly at age 46
TORONTO — Dolores O’Riordan, lead singer of the Cranberries who split her time between Ireland and a remote town in Ontario, has died at 46.
Publicist Lindsey Holmes says O’Riordan died suddenly Monday in London, U.K., where she was recording. The cause of death wasn’t immediately available.
Holmes says the singer’s family is “devastated” by the news.
The Limerick, Ireland band became international stars in the 1990s, starting with Linger off their debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? and Zombie from their second release.
Their popularity created a quick transition from playing bars and clubs to opening for the likes of Duran Duran, Radiohead and Suede.
The band announced plans for a hiatus in 2003 to focus on their solo careers. In a 2009 interview with The Canadian Press, O’Riordan said part of the decision rested on the pressures of celebrity.
“I was so young when I got so famous and then I kind of put up a wall around myself, I didn’t really want to show people any fragilities or fears, I was trying to be this tough person that I felt was expected of me,” she said.
O’Riordan, her former husband Don Burton, their two kids and a child from Burton’s previous relationship spent years splitting their time between Ireland and a cottage north of Peterborough, Ont.
“What’s amazing is — I actually have problems getting it into my head — Canada is so big, right? And Ireland’s small you know; you drive from coast to coast in three hours. You can really get lost here, and I like that,” she said.
O’Riordan produced two solo albums, Are You Listening? in 2007 and No Baggage in 2009.
The Cranberries released the acoustic album Something Else in 2017 and had been due to tour Europe and North America. But a number of dates were cancelled, including one in Toronto, as O’Riordan struggled with persistent back problems.
In 2014, O’Riordan made headlines after she was accused of assaulting three police officers and a flight attendant during a flight from New York to Ireland. She pleaded guilty and was fined $6,600. She and Burton separated that same year.