Dolores O'Riordan, lead singer of The Cranberries, dies at age 46

Dolores O’Riordan, the lead singer of The Cranberries, died last night in London at the age of 46, with no explanation currently available.

The singer’s death was confirmed by the band in a brief statement that reads: “Irish and international singer Dolores O’Riordan has died suddenly in London today. She was 46 years old. 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.”

The Cranberries rose to fame in the early 1990s after forming in Limerick, Ireland, in 1989. A fusion of indie pop and Irish folk, they initially enjoyed success with the single Linger, followed by hits with Dreams and Zombie.

By the mid-’90s, O’Riordan was named the highest-earning woman in Ireland, and became somewhat of a radical rock icon. She married Duran Duran’s tour manager, Don Burton, dressed in a transparent gown, she’d often relegate other band members to separate tour buses, and she’d relentlessly be battling rumours of eating disorders.

In 2007, O’Riordan released her first solo album Are You Listening? after having split from The Cranberries to raise a family. She reunited and toured with the band again in 2009, but was now not getting along with husband Burton.

After being married for 20 years, O’Riordan and Burton split in late 2014 when the singer was involved in an ‘air rage’ incident of which she was only just spared a criminal conviction since a judge ruled her as “mentally ill” at the time of the incident.

In a recent reunion, The Cranberries released an acoustic album, Something Else, in April 2017 then began touring Europe. Halfway into the tour, the band had to cancel dates due to O’Riordan suffering from more health problems. Not many details were reported on her most recent health status, although she was fit enough to step into a studio, where she was recording material in London this week.

O’Riordan leaves behind three children, who have all been living in Canada with Burton since the couple’s separation.  Antonino Tati