She began singing at five and writing songs as a teenager, growing up in a strict Catholic family in rural Ireland. Born in 1971, Dolores O’Riordan found her escape in music and ran away at 18 to pursue singing, eventually becoming the powerful voice of The Cranberries.
With hits like Linger, Dreams, and Zombie, she rose to global fame in the 1990s, admired for her haunting voice and fearless, political lyrics. But success came at a cost. Dolores struggled with grief, childhood trauma, depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and alcohol abuse.
Despite marriage, motherhood, and later reunions with the band, her personal battles never fully eased. On January 15, 2018, Dolores O’Riordan died at age 46 in London, in an accidental drowning linked to alcohol.
Her honesty, vulnerability, and voice left a lasting mark on music and on generations of fans.