Dolores O'Riordan Died by Drowning Due to Alcohol Intoxication, Coroner Reveals

The death of The Cranberries lead singer Dolores O’Riordan has been ruled a drowning due to alcohol intoxication by British authorities, an inquest at Westminster Coroner’s Court reportedly revealed on Thursday.

O’Riordan was found dead on Jan. 15 in her hotel room at the London Hilton on Park Lane.

According to the BBC, coroner Dr. Shirley Radcliffe said that O’Riordan was submerged face-up in the bath at the time she was discovered in what was “a tragic accident.” There were no signs of injury or self-harm found during the post-mortem examination, the outlet reported.

Authorities discovered a bottle of champagne and five miniature bottles on the scene, in addition to “containers of prescription drugs with a quantity of tablets in each container,” the BBC reported.

Toxicology tests showed that O’Riordan’s blood contained “therapeutic” amounts of medication but 330mg of alcohol per 100mls of blood, the BBC reported. That’s “four times over the 80mg legal limit for driving,” according to the outlet.

Dolores O'Riordan
Dolores O'Riordan

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Following the inquest, which coincided on what would have been O’Riordan’s 47th birthday, The Cranberries released an official statement asking for privacy.

“Today we continue to struggle to come to terms with what happened,” the statement read, in part. “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 for us. We’d like to say thank you to all of our fans for the outpouring of messages and their continues support during this very difficult time.”

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O’Riordan joined The Cranberries when she was only 18, and the band can credit much of its success to O’Riordan’s songwriting. In international hits like “Linger,” “Dreams,” and “Zombie,” she is able to articulate deep human emotion in response to love and tragedy. The band sold over 40 million albums worldwide and had multiple Billboard Top 200 hits throughout the ’90s.

After The Cranberries disbanded in 2003, O’Riordan released her first solo album entitled Are You Listening. The group got back together in 2009 and released the acoustic album Something Else in 2017 in tandem with their reunion tour, yet most dates had to be canceled due to O’Riordan’s ongoing back problems. She was also managing mental health issues, including bipolar and depression.

At the time of O’Riordan’s death, publicist Lindsey Holmes had said that the Irish singer’s death was both sudden and not suspicious. Holmes stated that O’Riordan was in London for a short recording session, adding that “family members are devastated to hear the breaking news and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”

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The Cranberries in 1999
The Cranberries in 1999

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Her sudden death came as a shock to fans and loved ones.

The remaining band members have repeatedly paid tribute to O’Riordan on Twitter, saying that month: “She was an extraordinary talent and we feel very privileged to have been part of her life from 1989 when we started the Cranberries.”

They’ve also announced they will be releasing a new album, which O’Riordan had been working on with them before her death. The LP — a newly remastered version of their debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing it So Why Can’t We, to commemorate its 25th anniversary — will contain previously unreleased material of the band’s as well as other bonus material from the era. It will be released in October.

O’Riordan leaves behind three children — Taylor, Mollie, and Dakota, 12 — as well as her boyfriend, Olé Koretsky.