Dolores O’Riordan, haunting voice of The Cranberries
Dolores O’Riordan, known for her raw voice on altrock songs by The Cranberries, including Zombie and Linger, has died unexpectedly at age 46.
The lead singer of the Irish band died Monday in London, where she had gone for a short recording session, publicist Lindsey Holmes told USA TODAY. Holmes said the singer’s family is “devastated.”
London police told The Associated Press that a woman in her 40s was found dead at the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane and said her death was being treated as “unexplained.”
The Cranberries formed in Limerick, Ireland, after O’Riordan answered an ad seeking a lead singer. The Cranberries became international stars in the 1990s with edgy rock hits that O’Riordan co-wrote as the band’s chief lyricist.
The Cranberries’ 1993 debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?, sold millions of copies and was led by hit single Dreams. The group broke up in 2003 but reunited several years later.
In 2014, O’Riordan was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Earlier that year, O’Riordan was accused of assaulting three police officers and a flight attendant on a plane from New York to Ireland. She pleaded guilty and was fined $6,600.
Last May, the singer spoke to The Irish News about her battles with depression, calling it “one of the worst things to go through” but said, “I’ve also had a lot of joy in my life, especially with my (three) children.”
In 2016, O’Riordan collaborated with The Smiths’ Andy Rourke to release album Science Agrees in the supergroup D.A.R.K. Last year, The Cranberries released acoustic album Something Else. A scheduled tour to Europe and North America was cut short because O’Riordan had back problems.