Death cause of Cranberries lead singer revealed

The death cause of Dolores O'Riordan, lead singer of the famous Irish rock band The Cranberries, was revealed after her mysterious death at a hotel in London about nine months ago, reported local media on Thursday.

The Irish Times quoted a hearing held at Westminster Coroner's Court in London earlier in the day as saying that Dolores O'Riordan drowned in a bathtub at a hotel room in London while intoxicated with alcohol.

The court was told that the singer had consumed five miniatures of spirits from the mini-bar of her hotel room and a half bottle of champagne before she was found dead in the bathtub at London Hilton Hotel in the morning of Jan. 15.

Her blood alcohol level was more than four times higher than the legal driving limit, the court heard.

Coroner Shirley Radcliffe ruled out the possibility of a suicide committed by the singer. She said that although O'Riordan had been diagnosed with bipolar affective disorder, she was being treated successfully for the condition and there was no evidence that she was feeling suicidal.

She listed the causes of the singer's death as drowning and alcohol intoxication.

Seamus O Ceallaigh, a consultant psychiatrist at St Patrick's Hospital in Dublin also shared the coroner's opinion.

He told the court that he saw O'Riordan in Dublin on Jan. 9, just six days before her death in London. The singer had been in "good spirits" and had shown no signs of suicidal intent, he said.

The court was also told that the singer was found dead by a member of housekeeping staff at the hotel at about 9:00 a.m. in the morning of Jan. 15, who quickly informed the local police. Police and ambulance service personnel arrived at the scene shortly after the singer's death was reported. Police who checked the scene said that they did not find anything suspicious about the singer's death. They said that the singer was wearing pyjama bottoms and a top and her nose and mouth were both below the water when she was found submerged in the bathtub.

Dolores O'Riordan died while she was in London for a brief recording session at the beginning of this year.

Born in Limerick of Ireland in September 1971, Dolores O'Riordan was a hugely successful rock star in 1990s and her famous songs in collaboration with her band include Zombie, Linger and Dreams.