Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan: Cause of death revealed

(Image credit: Frank Hoensch/Redferns - Getty)

An inquest into the death of Cranberries vocalist Dolores O’Riordan has revealed that the 46-year-old drowned due to alcohol intoxication.

O’Riordan died while she was in London in January this year, with the BBC reporting that Westminster Coroner’s Court found that she was discovered submerged in a bath at the Park Lane Hilton Hotel in the city after drinking an excessive amount of alcohol.

It’s reported that she had no other injuries, with the report calling her death a "tragic accident".

Her bandmates have issued a statement in light on the findings, which reads: “On January 15, 2018, we lost our dear friend and band mate Dolores O’Riordan. Today we continue to struggle to come to terms with what happened.

“Our heartfelt condolences go out to Dolores’ children and her family and our thoughts are with them today.

“Dolores will live on eternally in her music. To see how much of a positive impact she had on people’s lives has been a source of great comfort to us.

“We’d like to say thank you to all our fans for the outpouring of message and their continued support during this very difficult time.

“We request, please, for our privacy to be respected at this time.”

The singer was due to record the band’s hit single Zombie with Bad Wolves during her time in London, but died before the planned studio session.

Tommy Vext and co subsequently recorded the song in tribute to O’Riordan and donated proceeds of sale to her three children.

The Cranberries' first album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? in 1993 was an instant hit, producing the singles Dreams and Linger. But it was the 1994 follow-up No Need To Argue which catapulted the band to success thanks to tracks including I Can’t Be With You and Zombie.

The Cranberries went on hiatus in 2003 following the release of Wake Up And Smell The Coffee but returned in 2009, subsequently launching their comeback album Roses in 2012.

pic.twitter.com/IOYffH8jqmSeptember 6, 2018

Scott has spent 37 years in newspapers, magazines and online as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. Scott joined our news desk in 2014 before moving into e-commerce in 2020. Scott maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, highlights deals, and reviews headphones, speakers, earplugs and more. Over the last 12 years, Scott has written more than 11,500 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog. He's previously written for publications including IGN, Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald, covering everything from news and features, to tech reviews, video games, travel and whisky. Scott's favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Cocteau Twins, Drab Majesty, Marillion and Rush.