UPDATED: Dolores O'Riordan has died in London

The shock news is that Dolores O'Riordan has passed away. A statement has just been issued that says: "Irish and international singer Dolores O’Riordan has died suddenly in London today. She was 46 years old. The lead singer with the Irish band The Cranberries, was in London for a short recording session. No further details are available at this time. Family members are devastated to hear the breaking news and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."
Kodaline and Duran Duran, whose former tour manager Don Burton was married to Dolores, are among those paying tribute to the singer who was in fine fettle when the band played a sold-out Bord Gais Energy Theatre last year.
Hot Press Assistant Editor, Stuart Clark, knew Dolores from the band's very earliest days when they were both living in Limerick.
"I remember writing the press release for their first cassette demo, and getting paid with a bottle of Jack Daniel's, which is one of the better day's work I've done!" Stuart reflects. "The first time I saw her on stage was when The Cranberries opened for another Limerick band, They Do It With Mirrors, downstairs at Cruise's Hotel in early 1990. She was a bundle of nerves that night, but, wow, what a voice! Pearse Gilmore, who ran the local Xeric Studios, put them on a small wage over the summer. She wasn't wholly convinced, coming up to me on the night of her Leaving Cert results in the Glentworth Hotel and asking, 'Do you think I should defer my place at the University of Limerick?' I said, 'Why not give it a year and see what happens?' I was delighted a few days later when she told me she was going to stick with The Cranberries.
"Anyway, they spent the whole of that summer writing in the morning and recording in the afternoon. In September, they played a private gig in Xeric for half-a-dozen local journalists, including myself and Kevin Barry, the future novelist who was writing at the time for the Limerick Post. We were gobsmacked when they performed 'Linger' and 'Dreams' back to back. Dolores was a woman transformed. The nerves had gone and her ability to really sell a song was thrillingly evident.
"None of us present that afternoon were surprised when, after an old fashioned record company bidding war, The Cranberries signed to Island and had huge hits with both of those songs. I would have run into Dolores at regular intervals after that. She had her demons and was in an awful state one day when she admitted to me that she was suffering from anorexia, but she was always warm, friendly and determined to give Hot Press, whose support she seemed to really appreciate, the best interview possible. She had a wicked sense of humour, and didn't suffer any nonsense from the lads in the band!
"She derived great happiness from her kids who she absolutely doted on, and wanted to make sure had as normal a childhood as possible growing up. Her initial reaction when The Cranberries broke up in 2004 was relief that she finally had her life back. Dolores had struggled with being one of the most famous women in the world - let us not forget that their 1994 No Need To Argue album sold 17 million copies - and being away from her family, who was she extremely close to, for months at a time. She was the one that the media wanted to talk to, which meant endless hours of hair and make-up and having her photo taken for magazine covers. She admitted to me that her anorexia stemmed from wanting to have control over at least one aspect of her life.
"Bit by bit, though, she missed the buzz of being in a band and invited Noel and Mike Hogan to play with her in January 2009 when she was made an Honorary Patron of University Philosophical Society at Trinity College. I was the Master of Ceremonies for the night, and sensed that something more permanent was afoot. Not long afterwards, the reunion was confirmed and 2012 saw them back in the charts with Roses and back on the festival circuit in Europe, where they're still mentioned in the same breath as U2. At their sell-out gig last year in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, Dolores looked healthier and happier than she had done in a decade. A mutual friend told me she was delighted before Christmas, when Eminem sampled 'Zombie' on his new record. It was confirmation of just how deeply The Cranberries have seeped into the rock 'n' roll consciousness. Along with Noel, she'd been working on a box-set of classic material, and generally looking to the future.
"I liked Dolores enormously and can't believe that she's gone. She was a hugely talented lady who achieved everything it was possible to achieve in her career."
Tribute has been paid this morning by Labour Party TD for Limerick City, Jan O’Sullivan, who says: “I was saddened to hear of the sudden death of The Cranberries lead singer, Dolores O’Riordan. My thoughts first and foremost are with her family. Dolores was an iconic figure of 90s Irish music. The music Dolores made has touched many people. Her talent and that of her bandmates put Limerick on the map musically. Ar dheis dé go raibh a anam dilís.”

We are devastated on the passing of our friend Dolores. She was an extraordinary talent and we feel very privileged to have been part of her life from 1989 when we started the Cranberries. The world has lost a true artist today.
Noel, Mike and Fergal

— The Cranberries (@The_Cranberries) January 15, 2018

We are crushed to hear the news about the passing of Dolores O’Riordan. Our thoughts go out to her family at this terrible time. https://t.co/6p20QD2Ii5 pic.twitter.com/vXscj0VGHS

— Duran Duran (@duranduran) January 15, 2018

Absolutely shocked to hear about the passing of Dolores O'Riordan! @The_Cranberries gave us our first big support when we toured with them around France years ago! Thoughts are with her family and friends

— Kodaline (@Kodaline) January 15, 2018

My first time hearing Dolores O'Riordan's voice was unforgettable. It threw into question what a voice could sound like in that context of Rock. I'd never heard somebody use their instrument in that way. Shocked and saddened to hear of her passing, thoughts are with her family.

— Hozier (@Hozier) January 15, 2018