Dolores O'Riordan no more!

Irish singer Dolores O’Riordan, lead singer of Cranberries died on Monday in London. The death has been termed as sudden as the singer was found in her hotel room, the cause, still unexplained. The world is mourning the loss of the 46-year-old iconic singer of Zombie, which the singer had planned to re-record the day after her death, a British new website has reported. The singer who shot to fame and became a sensation across the world for songs like Linger, Dreams, etc, leaves behind devastated band members, three children who were her life, and a shocked family.

Diehard fans of the band that sold more than 40 million records and musicians from across the country share their sadness with her untimely death. Meghna Dundi, a Hyderabad-based singer says that she must have sung Dolores’ song Zombie around a 1000 times till now. “I think many of Dolores’ song have helped me express myself as a vocalist better. In fact Zombie was one of the first songs I performed on. Many have requested me to sing that track at various parties, I would have sung it over 1000 times by now. Another song that I love is Ode To My Family. Dolores had a very peculiar quality about her voice and that was loved by many. It is sad that she left us so early. I just hope that her passing was a peaceful one,” Meghna says.

Dolores’ peculiar style of singing was something that her fans will remember her for. Singer Arpit Chourey feels that Dolores’ death is a huge loss to the world of music. “We all have listened to Cranberries for a very long time and songs like Linger and Zombie are iconic. Forty-six is a very young age and I feel that it’s a big loss not only for her fans, but for every music lover,” he says.

City-based drummer Louis Chinnam, who plays with the band Primal Abuse, feels that Dolores has inspired many with her music. Louis says, “It was quite a shock for me as I have been listening to Cranberries’ tracks for a long time now. Apart from her contribution to music, one thing that I would like to point out is that she has been a great influence on a lot of girls to take up front rock bands. Many young female singers look up to her as their idols.”

Kritica Sinha, a young music enthusiast and photographer recalls, “I remember the first time I performed on stage in my college. I sang Animal Instinct by Cranberries, as I loved the way Dolores’ mellifluous voice could hold one’s soul and transport us to another era. I cannot believe she is gone. Her voice had that rare power of giving goose bumps while the adrenaline gushed inside with every beat of their songs.”