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- Sep 4, 2018
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Dolores O'Riordan, the lead singer of the Cranberries, drowned in her bath as a result of intoxication from alcohol, an inquest has found.
The inquest at inner west London coroner's court, on what would have been O'Riordan's 47th birthday, heard she had been drinking heavily before she was found dead in room 2005 of the Hilton hotel in Park Lane, London, at about 9am on 15 January.
Her alcohol level was 330mg per 100ml of blood, more than four times the legal limit for driving of 80mg.
O'Riordan, who had to cancel a tour with a reunited Cranberries in 2017 because of a back problem, had been in London for a recording session.
She was found submerged, face up in the bath by a maid. When paramedics arrived, police were performing CPR on her in the bathroom. At 9.16am she was declared dead.
Evidence was found of heavy smoking (an entire pack had been smoked) and drinking and the of use of prescription drugs, including lorazepam. Five empty miniatures from the mini bar, which had been accessed at 2.10am, were found as well as a 35cl bottle of champagne.
A postmortem report by Dr Adam Combe concluded that she drowned as a result of alcohol intoxication.
Police said after her death that it was not suspicious. No note of intention was found.
A psychiatric report by US doctor Robert Hirschfield, who spoke to her by phone on 26 December last year, read at the inquest said: "She was doing well, she was not drinking, she was a little sad on Christmas Day ... no thoughts of suicide."
The coroner, Dr Shirley Radcliffe, said: "There's no evidence that this was anything other than an accident. There was no intention, this
seems to be solely a tragic accident."
The court heard that the singer had struggled with bipolar disorder and ongoing drinking. In September last year she composed a suicide
note while drinking heavily and taking lorazepam.
Her mother, Eileen O'Riordan, as well as one of the singer's brothers and sister-in-law attended the inquest.
O'Riordan, born in Limerick in 1971, joined the Cranberries – then called the Cranberry Saw Us – in 1990, and performed with them until 2003 when they took a hiatus. Her distinctive singing voice helped make the band hugely successful on both sides of the Atlantic.
Their hits began with the song Linger, which reached the Top 10 in the US and Ireland, and No 14 in the UK. When her body was discovered, she had been in the capital to record a cover of Zombie, another one of the Cranberries' biggest hits, with the hard rockers Bad Wolves.
The inquest heard she had a legion of fans who valued her charisma and unique singing voice. She was a "fun-loving sister" and dedicated and doting mother.
The Irish president, Michael D Higgins, was among those who paid tribute to O'Riordan after her death.
She is survived by her three children, Taylor Baxter, Molly Leigh and Dakota Rain, from her relationship with ex-husband Don Burton, Duran Duran's tour manager.
Her partner at the time of her death, New York based DJ and producer, Ole Koretsky, said "the love of my life is gone".
The inquest at inner west London coroner's court, on what would have been O'Riordan's 47th birthday, heard she had been drinking heavily before she was found dead in room 2005 of the Hilton hotel in Park Lane, London, at about 9am on 15 January.
Her alcohol level was 330mg per 100ml of blood, more than four times the legal limit for driving of 80mg.
O'Riordan, who had to cancel a tour with a reunited Cranberries in 2017 because of a back problem, had been in London for a recording session.
She was found submerged, face up in the bath by a maid. When paramedics arrived, police were performing CPR on her in the bathroom. At 9.16am she was declared dead.
Evidence was found of heavy smoking (an entire pack had been smoked) and drinking and the of use of prescription drugs, including lorazepam. Five empty miniatures from the mini bar, which had been accessed at 2.10am, were found as well as a 35cl bottle of champagne.
A postmortem report by Dr Adam Combe concluded that she drowned as a result of alcohol intoxication.
Police said after her death that it was not suspicious. No note of intention was found.
A psychiatric report by US doctor Robert Hirschfield, who spoke to her by phone on 26 December last year, read at the inquest said: "She was doing well, she was not drinking, she was a little sad on Christmas Day ... no thoughts of suicide."
The coroner, Dr Shirley Radcliffe, said: "There's no evidence that this was anything other than an accident. There was no intention, this
seems to be solely a tragic accident."
The court heard that the singer had struggled with bipolar disorder and ongoing drinking. In September last year she composed a suicide
note while drinking heavily and taking lorazepam.
Her mother, Eileen O'Riordan, as well as one of the singer's brothers and sister-in-law attended the inquest.
O'Riordan, born in Limerick in 1971, joined the Cranberries – then called the Cranberry Saw Us – in 1990, and performed with them until 2003 when they took a hiatus. Her distinctive singing voice helped make the band hugely successful on both sides of the Atlantic.
Their hits began with the song Linger, which reached the Top 10 in the US and Ireland, and No 14 in the UK. When her body was discovered, she had been in the capital to record a cover of Zombie, another one of the Cranberries' biggest hits, with the hard rockers Bad Wolves.
The inquest heard she had a legion of fans who valued her charisma and unique singing voice. She was a "fun-loving sister" and dedicated and doting mother.
The Irish president, Michael D Higgins, was among those who paid tribute to O'Riordan after her death.
She is survived by her three children, Taylor Baxter, Molly Leigh and Dakota Rain, from her relationship with ex-husband Don Burton, Duran Duran's tour manager.
Her partner at the time of her death, New York based DJ and producer, Ole Koretsky, said "the love of my life is gone".
