LONDON — The death of Cranberries lead singer Dolores O’Riordan is not being treated as suspicious, British police said Tuesday. A friend said the singer sounded excited and “full of life” just hours before her death.
O’Riordan was found dead Monday morning at a London hotel. Police initially said the death was “unexplained,” but on Tuesday ruled it non-suspicious, meaning that they found no evidence of foul play. The case will be passed to a coroner to determine the cause of death.
O’Riordan had suffered physical and mental health problems over the years. The Cranberries cut short a world tour in 2017 because of the singer’s back problems.
The 46-year-old Irish singer was in London to record vocals for a cover of The Cranberries’ hit “Zombie” by the Los Angeles rock band Bad Wolves.
Dan Waite of music label Eleven Seven, a friend of the singer, said O’Riordan left him a voice message early Monday saying she was looking forward to the recording. He said “she sounded full of life, was joking and excited to see me and my wife this week.”
“The news of her passing is devastating and my thoughts are with Don, her ex-husband, her children, and her mother,” Waite said.
The Cranberries formed in the Irish city of Limerick at the end of the 1980s. O’Riordan was chief lyricist and co-songwriter, and her powerful, sometimes wailing, voice was key to the band’s distinctive sound.
The group’s 1993 debut album “Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?” sold millions of copies internationally and produced the hit single “Linger.” The follow-up, “No Need to Argue,” sold in even greater numbers and contained “Zombie,” a howl against Northern Ireland’s violent Troubles that topped singles charts in several countries.
Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that “for anyone who grew up in Ireland in the 1990s, Dolores O’Riordan was the voice of a generation.”
In her hometown of Limerick, residents signed a book of condolence at the city council offices. Mayor Stephen Keary said O’Riordan “put Limerick on the music map and on a world stage.”
“She achieved so much in her short years. Her memory will live on,” he said.
Irish President Michael D. Higgins said O’Riordan and the band “had an immense influence on rock and pop music in Ireland and internationally.”
“To all those who follow and support Irish music, Irish musicians and the performing arts, her death will be a big loss,” he said in a statement.
The band released split up in 2003. O’Riordan released a solo album, “Are You Listening,” in 2007, and another, “No Baggage,” in 2009. The members of The Cranberries reunited that year, releasing the album “Roses” in 2012.
The Cranberries released the acoustic album “Something Else” in 2017 and had been due to tour Europe and North America.
