‘Heartbroken’ Dolores O’Riordan Bandmate Pays Tribute to The Cranberries Singer

Few are taking the news of Dolores O’Riordan‘s sudden death harder than her bandmates. While O’Riordan remained the frontwoman of The Cranberries, she also formed the band D.A.R.K. with The Smiths‘ Andy Rourke, who shared an emotional tribute to the late singer on social media Tuesday.

Rourke shared a photo from last New Year’s Eve of himself, O’Riordan and their third bandmate, Olé Koretsky, writing a long post in O’Riordan’s honor.

“I am heartbroken and devastated by the news of the sudden and unexpected passing of Dolores. I have truly enjoyed the years we spent together and feel privileged to call her a close friend,” he wrote on Twitter and Instagram.

“It was a bonus to work with her and witness firsthand her breathtaking and unique talent, I will miss her terribly. I send my love and condolences to her family and loved ones. This photo was taken last NYE in NY with Dolores and Ole,” Rourke wrote.

His posts received tons of supportive comments like “R.I.P.” and “so sorry for your loss.”

“I’m so sorry you lost your friend. She was truly unique and seemed like such a sweet, earnest soul,” one person wrote.

“Such very sad news and a complete shock 🙁 Sorry for your loss Andy, take care x,” someone else said.

“I thought of you straight away Andy. I’m absolutely gutted and I only knew her music.. The only way out of this is just to celebrate her talent,” another person wrote.

O’Riordan was found dead in a London hotel room on Monday while she was in town for a recording session. She was 46 years old. She once said in an interview that she’d be happy to reach 50.

In an interview with her friend, journalist Barry Egan, O’Riordan opened up about her battles with depression and her attempt to take her own life in 2013.

She said she’d had to convince herself to slow down and not to feel guilty, adding, “Because I am not going to live that long. I’m 43. If I see 50, I’ll be happy. I mean that.”

A source from the London Police Department told TMZ that O’Riordan was found next to counterfeit fentanyl, leading to a suspicion that she died by suicide and a deliberate overdose.

No official cause of death has been reported but one is expected once toxicology reports are finished.

Police ruled O’Riordan’s death non-suspicious, meaning they found no evidence of foul play.

After splitting from her husband of 20 years in 2014, O’Riordan’s life took a hard personal turn. The Irish singer spoke publicly about suicide and her bipolar disorder, which she said she was diagnosed with in 2015 and said she’d struggled with the symptoms for years.In 2014, she told the Belfast Telegraph that she once tried to take her own life. “I tried to overdose last year… I suppose I am meant to stay here for the kids,” she said at the time.

She is survived by three children — Taylor Baxter, 20, and Molly Leigh, 16, and Dakota Rain, 12.

During the interview, the “Zombie” singer said she had to be careful not to keep sleeping tablets around “because if I have a few drinks I’ll take them…. Then you don’t wake up.”

In November 2014, O’Riordan was arrested and charged in connection with air rage on an Aer Lingus flight from New York to Shannon, Ireland. During the flight she reportedly grew verbally and physically abusive with crew. When police were arresting her after landing, she resisted, headbutting one and spitting at another. Later she told the media that she had been stressed from living in New York hotels following the end of her 20-year marriage.

The Cranberries cited O’Riordan’s ongoing “back problem” as the reason for canceling the second part of the group’s 2017 European tour and all of the group’s North American tour. In late 2017, O’Riordan said she was recovering and performed at a private event.

It’s unclear how significant, if at all, O’Riordan’s back problem was in relation to her sudden death.

After her abrupt death, many fans sought solace in her music, with sales of her music (The Cranberries, D.A.R.K. and her solo projects) up 900,000%.