The Cranberries lead singer Dolores O’Riordan died suddenly on Jan. 15, 2018, at age 46. No cause of death was immediately available to the public.
In May 2017, she revealed that she had been diagnosed two years earlier with bipolar disorder. She told Metro.co.uk: “I’ve experienced extremes throughout my life. But I was only diagnosed two years ago. There are two ends of the spectrum — you can get extremely depressed and dark and lose interest in the things you love to do, then you can get super manic. I was at the hypomanic side of the spectrum on and off for a long period but generally you can only last at that end for around three months before you hit rock bottom and go down into depression. When you’re manic, you don’t sleep and get very paranoid. So I’m dealing with it with medication.”
The Cranberries were formed in Limerick, Ireland, in 1989 by brothers Mike (bass) and Noel (guitar) Hogan, with drummer Fergal Lawler and singer Niall Quinn. Originally named The Cranberry Saw Us, the band had an early setback: Quinn was let go a few months later, forcing a search for a replacement.
Lawler told an early version of Pauseandplay.com in 1995: “We asked around our friends if anyone knew of a singer, and Dolores heard from someone in school and contacted us through them. She came up to rehearsal one day and played some songs she had – two of them were ‘Linger’ and ‘Sunday,’ which ended up on the first album.
“She only had the music and the chords. She wrote the lyrics for them and came back the next week, and then she started singing and we all knew it immediately. We knew she was the one.”
O’Riordan leaves behind a legacy of powerful alternative rock, influencing a generation of female pop/rock singers. Here’s a selection of Cranberries studio, live and compilation albums and O’Riordan’s solo work:
Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? (Island, 1993)
Their debut album caught critics by surprise, considering the band’s dreamy, Celtic-influenced sound wasn’t a likely candidate to share chart space with rap groups, country acts and Swedish pop stars Ace of Base. It sold more than 5 million copies in the U.S. alone and spawned their lone U.S. Top 10 hit, “Linger.”
Producer: Stephen Street
Highlights: “Dreams,” “Linger,” “Sunday,” “Still Can’t …”
No Need to Argue (1994)
There was no sophomore jinx. Powered by the modern-rock smash, “Zombie,” their second album nearly doubled the sales of the first album. “It didn’t matter to us if the second album didn’t do as well,” Lawler told P&P, “because we would rather be happy with the songs than whether we’re selling a million records.”
Producer: Stephen Street
Highlights: “Zombie,” “Ode to My Family,” “I Can’t Be with You,” “Ridiculous Thoughts,” “Dreaming My Dreams”
To the Faithful Departed (1996)
Their third album was their third-straight platinum-seller, featuring their final U.S. Top 40 hit, “When You’re Gone.”
By now, O’Riordan was a media sensation. She graced the cover of Rolling Stone, sans bandmates. Lawler said he and the Hogans preferred being out of the limelight. The emphasis on O’Riordan fueled rumors of an impending solo career.
“People in the media have said that from the start,” Lawler said. “… If someone in the band wants to do something on the side, that’s fine. Do what you want, but the Cranberries are the main thing we do.”
Producers: Bruce Fairbairn, The Cranberries
Highlights: “Salvation,” “Free to Decide,” “When You’re Gone,” “Hollywood,” “I’m Still Remembering”
Bury the Hatchet (1999)
Their fourth album was certified gold in the U.S., but there were no more radio hits for The Cranberries and MTV’s influence was waning.
Producer: Benedict Fenner
Highlights: “Promises,” “Animal Instinct,” “Just My Imagination,” “You and Me”
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee (MCA, 2001)
The band went back to Stephen Street for its fifth album, hoping to recapture the success of its first two albums. “Wake Up” sold more than 1 million copies around the world but didn’t fare well in the U.S. The group would later disband.
Producer: Stephen Street
Highlights: “Analyse,” “Time Is Ticking Out,” “This Is the Day”
Treasure Box for Boys and Girls – The Complete Sessions 1991–1999 (2002)
The four-disc box set contained the band’s four albums for Island, with bonus tracks, including covers of “(They Long to Be) Close to You” and “Go Your Own Way” and O’Riordan’s live duet with Luciano Pavarotti on “Ave Maria.”
Stars: The Best of 1992-2002 (2002)
The 20-song compilation featured the previously unreleased “New New York” and “Stars.” Also available on DVD, “Stars: The Best of Videos 1992-2002.”
Are You Listening? (Sequel / Sanctuary, 2007 – solo LP)
Her solo debut was written and inspired by events in her life since The Cranberries’ breakup, including her marriage, the birth of her third child and the death of her mother-in-law.
Producers: Dolores O’Riordan, Dan Brodbeck
Highlights: “Ordinary Day,” “When We Were Young,” “In the Garden,” “Human Spirit”
Gold (Island, 2008)
The two-CD, 31-song compilation contained full versions of their songs (not edited down for length).
No Baggage (Zoë / Rounder, 2009 – solo LP)
Her second and final solo album.
Producers: Dolores O’Riordan, Dan Brodbeck
Highlights: “The Journey,” “Switch of the Moment,” “Be Careful,” “Fly Through”
Bualadh Bos – The Cranberries Live (Island, 2009)
Bualadh Bos, pronounced “boola bahs,” means “Clap Your Hands” in Irish Gaelic – appropriate for their first live album, taken from 1994-1998 shows in Los Angeles, Toronto, Michigan, Oslo and Tipperary. The release coincided with their first North American tour in seven years.
Roses (Cooking Vinyl, 2012)
Again with Stephen Street at the helm, The Cranberries returned for their first album in 10 years. Their chemistry remained intact, but critics pointed out that the band’s dreamy sound was noticeably missing.
Producer: Stephen Street
Highlights: “Show Me,” “Tomorrow,” “Raining in My Heart,” “Waiting in Walthamstow,” “Fire & Soul”
Something Else (BMG Rights Management, 2017)
Their seventh album featured “unplugged” versions of their past hits, plus three new songs, all featuring a string quartet from the Irish Chamber Orchestra.
Highlights: “Linger (Acoustic Version),” “When You’re Gone (Acoustic Version),” “Rupture,” “Why”