Ongoing History of New Music

Ongoing History Daily: Dolores O’Riordan’s troubles

When Dolores O’Riordan joined The Cranberries, she was still a teenager and ill-equipped to deal with all the attention brought on by the band’s sudden fame. She arrived with a lot of mental trauma, too.

When she was seven, her sister accidentally burned their house down. A man who was in a “position of trust” with the family sexually abused her starting at age eight and continuing until she was 12. She couldn’t rely on her father, a farmer laborer, to help because he’d become mentally impaired with brain damage after a serious motorcycle accident in 1968.

The trauma she suffered growing up coupled with the intense media attention forced The Cranberries on hiatus in the late 90s so she could get therapy. It helped a little, but she still suffered from depression and bipolar disorder, something that led to an air rage incident.

It all came to an end on January 15, 2018, when she accidentally drowned in a hotel bathtub.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39159 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

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