Cranberries singer was found dead in bathroom
THE lead singer of The Cranberries was found dead by cleaners in her hotel bathroom, it emerged last night.
Dolores O’Riordan’s body was discovered when staff at the Hilton on Park Lane in London went into her room thinking it was empty.
She was pronounced dead at the scene on Monday morning. Scotland Yard initially said her death was ‘unexplained’ but yesterday ruled that it was ‘not suspicious’.
One hotel worker told the Mail yesterday: ‘The people who found her said they found her in the toilet.
‘I think it was the cleaners who had gone in there because there was no activity around the hallway or from the room. They didn’t say how they found her, this has been kept private.’
Another staff member said: ‘They found
‘She was joking and excited hours before’
her in the bathroom. But the staff that found her have not said anything more, so we don’t know if it’s suicide or what.’
Miss O’Riordan, 46, had been in London to record a cover of The Cranberries’ 1994 hit single Zombie with rock band Bad Wolves. A seething condemnation of the IRA’s 1993 Warrington bomb attack that killed two boys, Zombie won an Ivor Novello award. The band also enjoyed huge success with track Linger.
They split in 2003 before reforming in 2009 and embarking on a reunion tour around America.
The Irish singer suffered with bipolar disorder and depression throughout her career, and US website TMZ yesterday reported friends describing her as ‘ dreadfully depressed’ in recent weeks. But a long-time friend and music producer, who was one of the last people to hear from her, told how she sounded happy and excited in a voicemail message just hours before her death.
Dan Waite, who was involved in the collaboration between her and Bad Wolves, said: ‘She was looking forward to seeing me in the studio and recording vocals.
‘She sounded full of life, was joking and excited to see me and my wife this week. The news of her passing is devastating.’ Dave Davies, former guitarist of The Kinks, also said Miss O’Riordan seemed ‘happy and well’ when he spoke to her before Christmas.
In a moving online tribute, the singer’s niece Elaine O’Riordan yesterday told of the family’s ‘shock and sadness’. Alongside a picture of her aunt, she wrote: ‘Only one Auntie Lolo you will be sorely missed.’
Miss O’Riordan’s death came two weeks after her partner and bandmate, New York-based musician Ole Koretsky, posted a picture of them together on his Instagram page with the caption: ‘NYE [New Year’s Eve]: take away, TV, pajamas.’ The couple played together in Miss O’Riordan’s latest band D.A.R.K., and had been seen on nights out in Ireland holding hands over the last two years.
Despite her huge international success with The Cranberries in the 1990s, Limerick-born Miss O’Riordan had a troubled life.
In 2014, she split from husband of 20 years, former Duran Duran tour manager Don Burton. They have three children together, Taylor, 20, and daughters Molly, 16, and Dakota, 12, who live with their father in Canada.
She once spoke of a ‘terrible selfloathing’ which had been worsened by her accelerating career and led to anorexia. Miss O’Riordan also suffered with back pain, which caused her to cancel a string of shows in May last year.
Westminster Coroner’s Court said her death is being ‘investigated’ but a post-mortem examination has not yet taken place.