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Duran Duran, Michelle Branch, And More Musicians React To the Death Of Cranberries Singer Dolores O’Riordan

By Victoria Miller
Published on: 07:10 PST, Jan 15, 2018

Dolores O’Riordan, the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Cranberries, has died. O’Riordan died unexpectedly in a hotel room while in London after arriving in the city for a short recording session with The Cranberries, according to a report by CNN. Dolores O’Riordan’s publicist has not released any further details on the singer’s death, except to say that her death was “sudden.” Dolores O’Riordan was just 46-years-old and she is survived by three children.

Dolores O’Riordan and the Cranberries shot to international fame in the 1990s thanks to a string of MTV-ready hits, including “Linger,” “Zombie,” and “Dreams,” some of which made it on to movie soundtracks. O’Riordan was also known for her work as a solo artist as well as the group D.A.R.K., which she formed with The Smiths’ bassist Andy Rourke and DJ Ole Koretsky.

As news of Dolores O’Riordan’s sudden death was announced, the President of Ireland, Michael Higgins, released a statement on the beloved singer’s passing.

“It is with great sadness that I have learned of the death of Dolores O’Riordan, musician, singer and songwriter,” Higgins said, according to Rolling Stone.

“Dolores O’Riordan and The Cranberries had an immense influence on rock and pop music in Ireland and internationally. I recall with fondness the late Limerick TD Jim Kemmy’s introduction of her and The Cranberries to me, and the pride he and so many others took in their successes. To all those who follow and support Irish music, Irish musicians and the performing arts her death will be a big loss.”

In addition to President Higgins, many musicians took to social media to remember Dolores O’Riordan and her many contributions to the music world. British band Duran Duran was one of the first bands to react to Dolores’ death. The late Cranberries frontwoman was previously married to Don Burton, Duran Duran’s former tour manager. The band posted to Twitter to write: “We are crushed to hear the news about the passing of Dolores O’Riordan. Our thoughts go out to her family at this terrible time.”

The Kinks’ Dave Davies posted that he had recently spoken to Dolores over the holidays and that she had been in good spirits. Davies revealed that they had even talked about writing some new songs together.

Many other musicians and bands, including Hozier and The Cranberries’ former touring mates, Kodaline, remembered Dolores O’Riordan. Singer Michelle Branch wrote that after hearing The Cranberries music for the first time when she was a young girl, she wanted to be like Dolores. Fellow female singing superstars Liz Phair and Garbage also remembered Dolores O’Riordan with poignant tweets.

Dolores O’Riordan was one of the most iconic and recognizable female voices of the 1990s and on. With her passing, the music world mourns the loss of one of its biggest and brightest stars. The future of The Cranberries is also now in question with the loss of the band’s longtime lead singer.

You can see Dolores O’Riordan performing one of The Cranberries biggest hits in the video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81c5ko2GGzg

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