Cranberries Lead Singer Dolores O'Riordan Dies Suddenly

Dolores O'Riordan, lead singer with The Cranberries, has died suddenly at the age of 46.

The Limerick woman was in London for a short recording session.

In a statement her publicist said no further details are available at this time.

The statement added that "family members are devastated to hear the breaking news and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."

Police in London have said they were called to a hotel on Park Lane in Westminster at 9.05am this morning.

Ms O'Riordan was pronounced dead at the scene. They say her death is being treated as unexplained at this point.

Ms O'Riordan, a native of Ballybricken, shot to fame in her early 20s during the 1990s as frontwoman of The Cranberries.

She went on to massive international success and sold more than 40 million records worldwide.

Their hits included Zombie, Linger and Dreams. O’Riordan’s haunting vocals were the act's main selling point and they released five original albums before taking a break in 2003.

Ms O'Riordan released two solo albums during the hiatus before the band reformed in 2009.

She was also a judge on RTÉ's The Voice of Ireland.

Tributes pour in for Dolores O'Riordan

President Michael D Higgins has led tributes to the singer, saying her death will be "a big loss" to all those who support and follow Irish music.

In a statement, Mr Higgins said "Dolores O'Riordan and The Cranberries had an immense influence on rock and pop music in Ireland and internationally." 

Canon Liam McNamara, who knew Ms O'Riordan and her family, said he was shocked to hear the news of her death.

Canon McNamara was a celebrant at her wedding at Holycross in 1994 and knew her growing up in Ballybricken.

He said everybody loved her, and she had entertained so many over the years. He added that news of her sudden death had been very upsetting.

Ms O'Riordan had three children - Mollie, Dakota, Taylor - and a stepson, Donnie.

Niall Stokes, the editor of Irish music magazine Hot Press, said her death is "inconceivable".

Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, he said "Dolores was such an extraordinary presence over many years and is gone. She had a very special quality about her and she created a sound with The Cranberries which was of huge international reach."