KELLY MCEVERS, HOST:
The lead singer of the Irish rock band The Cranberries died today. Dolores O'Riordan's smooth but powerful voice became known around the world after her band's success with songs like "Linger" and "Zombie."
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ZOMBIE")
DOLORES O'RIORDAN: (Singing) In your head, in your head, they are dying - in your head, in your head, zombie, zombie, zombie. What's in your head?
MCEVERS: O'Riordan died suddenly today at the age of 46. We don't have many details about her death, so we want to talk about her life. To do that, we are joined by Ronan McGreevy of The Irish Times. Welcome.
RONAN MCGREEVY: Good afternoon, Kelly.
MCEVERS: Thanks for being here. How popular was Dolores O'Riordan and The Cranberries, especially in Ireland in the '90s when they were so popular around the world?
MCGREEVY: Well, they were the biggest Irish band after U2 really. They came out of nowhere (inaudible). They came out of the city of Limerick in the west of Ireland. You know, but they - their success could never have been predicted. But they had huge songs. And so the - "Linger" was one of them, probably of all time, with a couple of albums as well that were massive around the world. They - no need to argue (unintelligible). They were probably the biggest Irish band of the 1990s.
MCEVERS: Right. And O'Riordan grew up in a big family in Limerick. She was the youngest of seven. She was actually known as the queen of Limerick. How did she become the lead singer of this band?
MCGREEVY: Well, they originally had a male lead singer. They tried to be a traditional rock back. And then somebody heard her sing in 1989 and said, would you like to audition for this band? And they changed their name to The Cranberries, and they also changed their sound to something that was much more mellow. And she turned out to be very good, very talented, I think it's fair to say - very unique voice, very unique take on things. And it's interesting. Nobody really predicted how big they would get (inaudible).
MCEVERS: Right. What's been the reaction today in Ireland to the news of her death?
MCGREEVY: Absolute shock. And she was only 46 years of age. She actually has, you know - she kind of disappeared off the scene for a long time, especially after there was (unintelligible) an incident with O'Riordan. But she came back last year. They released an album of acoustic covers of their own music. There was talk of a Cranberries - new Cranberries album. She was - she posted something on Facebook before Christmas saying that she was in great form and that she's looking forward to Christmas. And she wished all the Cranberries fans a happy new year.
But, you know, she's been dealt in recent years, I think (unintelligible) think it's mostly good. In fact, it starts with (unintelligible). I could say she before, Kelly - that she had been involved in (unintelligible) in 2014. She was hospitalized after that. She was bipolar, and she had paranoid delusions at that time. And she made no secret of the fact that she needed help for her mental difficulties. But unfortunately it's too late in the end.
MCEVERS: Ronan McGreevy of The Irish Times remembering Irish singer Dolores O'Riordan of The Cranberries. She passed away today at the age of 46. Thanks a lot. We appreciate it.
MCGREEVY: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "LINGER")
O'RIORDAN: (Singing) But I'm in so deep. You know I'm such a fool for you. You got me wrapped around your finger. Do you have to let it linger? Do you have to? Do you have to? Do you have to let it linger?