Dolores O’Riordan, the lead singer with the Irish band The Cranberries, died by drowning due to alcohol intoxication, recorded a coroner on Thursday. Dr Shirley Radcliffe at the Westminster’s Coroner’s Court said it was an accidental death after hearing all the evidence, reported Sky News.
O’Riordan, 46, was found dead in her hotel on January 16 while she was in London for a recording session.
The singer was found face up in her bathtub after drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, the court was told. “When police arrived, O’Riordan’s face and mouth were completely submerged in the bathwater,” said a police officer. There was no evidence that she had taken drugs, other than her prescribed medication for bipolar disorder.
O’Riordan’s psychiatrist in Ireland told the court that he believed the singer had “an episode of mania or elevated mood”.
The Cranberries became famous with their 1993 debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? and had sold over four crore records worldwide until 2017.
In 2017, the band announced a tour of Europe and the United States. However, in May, the group had to cancel its ongoing European tour due to O’Riordan’s poor health. The Cranberries website said “medical reasons associated with a back problem” prevented O’Riordan from performing.
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