It’s been nearly eight months since The Cranberries singer Dolores O’Riordan died on January 15th at the age of 46. The icon was in her hotel room at London’s Park Lane Hilton Hotel as she was scheduled to record a cover of the group’s hit song “Zombie” with Bad Wolves. We spoke to Bad Wolves vocalist Tommy Vext as he expressed how O’Riordan gave him her blessing to cover the classic song, which the group eventually donated $250,000 to her family. As time progressed, speculations on how she died has risen which included a theory that it was an overdose on opioids.
Today (6th), which would have been her 47th birthday, O’Riordan’s cause of death has officially been released. The BBC reports, an inquest into her death that was attended by her mother, brother, and sister-in-law at Westminster Coroner’s court has revealed the late singer died due to alcohol intoxication. O’Riordan was found submerged in the bath in her hotel room as the coroner stated it was a “tragic accident.” There was no evidence of self harm, however, she drank an excessive amount of alcohol as the toxicology tests showed only “therapeutic” amounts of medication but 330mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, which is equivalent to four times over the 80mg legal driving limit.
BBC also reported the following:
“The inquest heard that there were empty bottles in the room – five miniature bottles and a bottle of champagne – as well as containers of prescription drugs with a quantity of tablets in each container.
The inquest heard that the singer checked into the hotel on 14 January. was in touch with room service at around midnight and phoned her mother at around 03:00 GMT.
She was later found unresponsive in the bathroom and confirmed dead at 09:16.”
PC Natalie Smart, who was at the scene mentioned the following to the inquest:
“I saw Mrs O’Riordan submerged in the bath with her nose and mouth fully under the water.”
Unfortunately, this news is beyond shocking and devastating. O’Riordan had a history of mental illness as she was getting treated for her bipolar disorder. Her psychiatrist Dr Seamu O Ceallaigh spoke to her days prior to her death on January 9th, stating how she was in “good spirits.”
The band shared a statement and mentioned that she will live on “eternally in her music.” For those who have been a fan of hers for years, will certainly agree. O’Riordan has an unforgettable voice as many have listened to her music for guidance and comfort. It’s hard to believe the cause of her death as in a way, it was written in her song, “Be Careful” from 2009’s No Baggage that she herself warned about the dangers alcohol can have on someone.
The group shared the following message:
“On January 15th 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 of our fans for the outpouring of messages and their continued support during this very difficult time. We request, please, for our privacy to be respected at this time.”
One thing we can say is, her voice and music will “Never Grow Old.”
