Dolores O’Riordan, lead singer of ’90s rock band The Cranberries, died in January in London at the age of 46, and at the time her cause of death was unclear.
Now, an inquest at Westminster Coroner’s Court revealed Thursday that O’Riordan died by drowning due to alcohol intoxication. Coincidentally, the inquest took place on what would have been her 47th birthday.
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She died as a result of a “tragic accident,” said coroner Dr. Shirley Radcliffe.
Rafcliffe said O’Riordan was submerged face-up in the bath at the time she was discovered. She added there were no signs of injury or self-harm found during the post-mortem examination.
Police officer Natalie Smart, who was on the scene in the hotel room where O’Riordan died, verified the findings at the inquest.
“I saw Mrs. O’Riordan submerged in the bath with her nose and mouth fully under the water,” she said.
The inquest also heard that there were multiple empty prescription containers in the Park Lane Hilton Hotel room, along with a bottle of champagne and five empty mini bottles that previously had alcohol in them.
Toxicology tests showed that O’Riordan was more than four times the legal alcohol limit. (The singer had an erratic history with alcohol, at times completely abstaining and at other times excessively partaking.) She had a “therapeutic” amount of medication in her system but didn’t take enough to have any adverse effects from drinking.
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The singer also battled bipolar disorder, but medical personnel familiar with her background said at the inquest that she had adjusted well to treatment.
The Cranberries released an official statement, asking for privacy.
“Today we continue to struggle to come to terms with what happened,” it 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,” it continued. “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 continued support during this very difficult time.”
O’Riordan checked into the hotel on Jan. 14, phoned room service at midnight and then called her mother at approximately 3 a.m. She was found unresponsive and deceased the following day at around 9 a.m. GMT.
The singer, a native of Ireland, was in London for a short recording session.
“The lead singer with the Irish band The Cranberries was in London for a short recording session. No further details are available at this time. Family members are devastated to hear the breaking news and have requested privacy at this very difficult time,” read the statement from her publicist on the day of her passing.
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O’Riordan was only in her teens when she auditioned to be the lead singer for The Cranberries. Together, the band released five albums, and they were known internationally for their hit songs Zombie and Linger. The band won multiple awards during their heyday in the 1990s.
In 2017, The Cranberries announced a tour with both European and U.S. dates, but in May the band cancelled the remainder of the tour, citing O’Riordan’s unspecified health problems.
Just before Christmas, O’Riordan posted to Facebook, saying she felt “good.”
In 2014, O’Riordan and her husband of 20 years, Don Burton, divorced. The pair had three children together.
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