Fans Shocked Over O' Riordan's Death, Tributes Pour In

Devastated fans of  The Cranberries are still reeling from shock over the sudden death of  the band's lead singer , Dolores O' Riordan, who was in London for a recording session. On hearing the news,  her band mates expressed their sorrow on Twitter...

The 46 year old singer was found dead in her London Hilton on Park Lane Hotel room on Monday and reports are still vague over the actual cause of death. Dolores was the main songwriter for The Cranberries alongside guitarist Noel Hogan. Known for her strong Limerick accent, she had released two solo albums, Are You Listening? in 2007 and No Baggage in 2009. 

Meanwhile, tributes have been pouring in, fans and celebrities- led by the President of Ireland- Michael J. Higgins- expressing their sadness over O’ Riordan’s death and admiration for her work.

‘It is with great sadness that I have learned of the death of Dolores O’Riordan, musician, singer and songwriter. Dolores O’Riordan and The Cranberries 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.’

From U2 on their Instagram account,

 ‘The band are floored but it’s of course her family we’re all thinking of right now. Out of the West came this storm of a voice – she had such strength of conviction yet she could speak to the fragility in all of us. Limerick’s “Bel canto’’ ’

One came from Colin Parry, whose 12 year old son Timmy and 3 year old Jonathan Ball were victims of the Warrington bombings by the IRA in 1993. O’ Riordan wrote the song Zombie, protesting the bombing and a means of crying out against violence and paying tribute to the two tragic victims.

'I’m saddened to hear of the death of Dolores O’Riordan at just 46. Her wonderful band recorded a moving song after the Warrington bomb in memory of two innocent victims, Johnathan Ball and my son Tim. RIP Dolores'

‘Only yesterday did I discover that her group, or she herself, had composed the song in memory of the event in Warrington, said Parry, who was initially unaware of the song regarding the tragic event. 

‘My wife came home from the police centre where she worked yesterday and told me the news. I got the song up on the laptop, watched the band singing, saw Dolores and listened to the words.

‘The words are both majestic and also very real. The event at Warrington, like the many events that happened all over Ireland and Great Britain, affected families in a very real way and many people have become immune to the pain and suffering that so many people experienced during that armed campaign.

‘To read the words written by an Irish band in such compelling way was very, very powerful. I likened it to the enormous amount of mail expressing huge sympathy that we received in the days, weeks and months following our loss. Proportionately a very high total of that total came from the island of Ireland.

Source: Variety, The Independent