Cranberries singer
‘Sudden’ death of Irish rocker Dolores O’Riordan shocks Chinese fans, musicians
The sudden death of Dolores O’Riordan, the 46-year-old lead singer of the popular Irish rock band The Cranberries, shocked Chinese fans and fellow musicians on Monday.
O’Riordan was found dead inside a hotel room in London where she stayed during a short recording session, Xinhua News Agency reported.
A statement from O’Riordan’s publicist confirmed her death but declined to disclose the cause of her demise.
The band, especially the lead singer’s voice and singing style, influenced many Chinese musicians. One of them is Chinese pop icon Faye Wong, whose cover version of The Cranberries’ song Dreams made her a sensation in Hong Kong in 1994.
Her emulation of O’Riordan’s silky voice, feverish high pitch and willowy whisper, as well as her cropped haircut, enabled her to break into the Chinese pop music industry like a breath of fresh air.
The band, founded in 1989 by brothers Mike and Noel Hogan, changed its name from The Cranberries Saw Us to The Cranberries after vocalist O’Riordan joined the band.
And it soon became one of the most popular Irish acts in the United States.
The band did two concerts in Shanghai and Beijing in July 2011 as part of its Asian tour that year, its first on the Chinese mainland.
In 2017, The Cranberries had to cancel its China tour due to O’Riordan’s reported “back problems”.
The band apologized to fans for this and wrote on its Sina Weibo account that it was disappointed with the turn of events.
The band’s Sina Weibo account, which has nearly 90,000 followers, was opened before it came to China in 2011.
Chinese fans keep a close tab on the band and this is what Chinese singer-songwriter Gao Xiaosong wrote on Sept 3 last year on his Sina Weibo account, which has more than 40 million followers:
“I visited Dolores in Limerick, who was recovering from back problems. Along with Dolores and Noel, the guitarist of the band, we talked a lot about the past and future. Dolores has almost recovered and she hopes to return to China in November. She loves China.”
Now, after hearing about O’Riordan’s death he writes: “It is shocking and sad to hear the news about her passing. I cannot believe our meeting last year was the last goodbye. I will miss her singing. It is unforgettable and unique.”
Other Chinese fans also shared their memories online.
“Rest in peace, Dolores. You will be missed,” writes one Chinese netizen.
“What a voice and what a big loss to the music world,” writes another fan in tribute.