Remembring Dolores O’Riordan, the legendary alternative rock singer

CAIRO - 17 January 2018: According to “The Cranberries” official website, the Irish musician and Cranberries lead singer Dolores O'Riordan has died suddenly at the age of 46. The cause of death is still unexplained. According to a statement from her publicist, O’Riordan was in London for a short recording session.

Her sudden death was shocking for everyone as her publicist added that the family were devastated and requested privacy in these difficult times. While her band expressed their sadness on their official page saying that they feel very privileged to have been part of O’Riordan’s life since 1989 when they started the Cranberries referring to her extraordinary talent. They also added that the world lost a true artist.

O'Riordan had been the lead singer of “The Cranberries” which originated in Limerick , since the 1990s. Her two hits "Linger" (1993) and "Zombie” (1994), were the major reason behind the band’s global success.


“Linger” reached the Top 10 in the US and Ireland, and number 14 in the UK. The song “Zombie” which surprised rock music fans with a new side in O’Riordan’s voice. She succeeded to portray the torture and violence which resulted from the bombings that occurred during the conflict in Northern Ireland.


The band sold over 40 million records throughout their whole artistic journey as their album “No Need to Argue” sold seven million copies in the U.S. while the overall sales were 17 million. There are other albums that led to the noticeable increase in the band’s album sales such as "Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We".

Driven by O’Riordan’s genuine voice, varied melodies and unmistakable west Irish accent, the band succeeded to break into the rock music world, fiercely creating one of the most noticeable acts in the early-’90s.

Various musicians from different music backgrounds offered their condolences for O’Riordan’s death, especially the Irish songwriter Hozier who expressed his sadness saying that O’Riordan’s voice “threw into question what a voice could sound like in that context of rock. I’d never heard somebody use their instrument in that way.”

The official Cranberries website cited, "medical reasons associated with a back problem" preventing singer Dolores O'Riordan from performing.

Just before Christmas, O'Riordan had posted on Facebook, saying that she felt good and had done her "first bit of gigging in months", leading fans to believe she would soon be performing again.

Beside performing with the band, O’Riordan also toured with D.A.R.K and was a judge on RTE's The Voice of Ireland for two years (2013 and 2014).