Dolores O’Riordan, frontwoman of The Cranberries, was set to collaborate on a cover of her band’s most famous track, “Zombie”, hours after her death on Monday.

Hard rock band Bad Wolves have stated on Facebook that they are “shocked and saddened” at the news of her passing, adding: “We have always had deep respect for her as an artist and a vocalist and she was never afraid to bare her soul in her music and lyrics.”

“’Zombie’ is an incredibly personal song and although we are a hard rock band,” band member Tommy Vext wrote. “We always felt the rawness and honesty she projected on stage and in her recordings was something to which all bands should aspire to, regardless of genre.”

“When we heard she liked our version and wanted to sing on it, it was the greatest compliment a new band, or any band for that matter, could have received.”

Music producer and friend Dan Waite also paid tribute to the singer, saying that she left him a message the night before the recording session in which she sounded “full of life”. He said: “Dolores left me a voice message just after midnight last night stating how much she loved Bad Wolves version of ‘Zombie’; she was looking forward to seeing me in the studio and recording vocals.”

“She sounded full of life, was joking and excited to see me and my wife this week. The news of her passing is devastating and my thoughts are with Don her ex-husband, her children, and her mother.”



Tributes have poured in from fans, friends, and fellow musicians who praised her as "unforgettable and inspirational". Irish President Michael D. Higgins praised O’Riordan’s and the band’s “immense influence on rock and pop music in Ireland and internationally.”

A spokesperson for O’Riordan said she died “suddenly” in London, where she had travelled for the short recording session. The cause of her death has not yet been revealed.

O’Riordan joined The Cranberries, made up of brothers Noel Hogan and Mike Hogan, after reading an advertisement in a local paper in 1989. They went on to sell over 40 million records around the world, O’Riordan later releasing the solo records Are You Listening? in 2007 and No Baggage in 2009.