A coroner’s inquest concluded that the singer’s sudden death was accidental.
Dolores O’Riordan’s cause of death has been determined nearly nine months after she was found dead in a London hotel bathroom. A coroner’s inquest concluded that the Cranberries singer accidentally drowned in a bathtub after drinking a large amount of alcohol, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Coroner Shirley Radcliffe said the singer died from drowning due to alcohol intoxication, but added, “There’s no evidence that this was anything other than an accident.” O’Riordan did not leave a note and there was no evidence that she purposely tried to harm herself.
Dolores O’Riordan was found drowned in a bathtub at London’s Park Lane Hilton hotel on January 15. Five miniature alcohol bottles and a bottle of champagne were found in the room, and toxicology tests revealed the mom of three had a blood alcohol level four times the legal limit for driving as well as “therapeutic” amounts of prescription medication in her system.
PC Natalie Smart, who attended the scene, told the inquest she saw O’Riordan “submerged in the bath with her nose and mouth fully under the water.”
According to the BBC, the Sept. 6 inquest was attended by O’Riordan’s mother, brother, and sister-in-law, where the coroner determined the singer’s death was a “tragic accident.” O’Riordan’s inquest was held on what would have been her 47th birthday.
The inquest heard that the Cranberries singer checked into the London hotel on January 14 and called for room service around midnight. O’Riordan also phoned her mother at around 3 a.m on January 15. The singer was found unresponsive in the hotel bathroom and confirmed dead at 9:16 a.m., just six hours after speaking with her mother.
After the coroner’s report was released, the surviving members of The Cranberries issued a statement. The group revealed that they “continue to come to terms with what happened” to their beloved bandmate and requested privacy at this time. You can see The Cranberries message below.
At the time of her death, Dolores O’Riordan was in London for a recording session as her singing career was on an upswing, but her sudden passing had fans focused on her past history with mental health issues and her battles with depression and a bipolar disorder diagnosis. Sadly, many fans assumed O’Riordan’s death was a suicide.
In January, it was reported that the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Cranberries had “died suddenly” in a hotel room while in London after arriving in the city for a short recording session with the band, per CNN. Dolores O’Riordan’s publicist did not release any further details on the singer’s death at the time.
Dolores O’Riordan and the Cranberries shot to fame in the early 1990s with a stream of MTV-ready hits, including the songs “Linger,” “Zombie,” and “Dreams.” The late singer 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.
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