Cranberries singer drowned while drunk

A coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death on Dolores O'Riordan, lead singer of Irish rock group The Cranberries, after hearing on Thursday she had died by drowning due to intoxication, media reported.

The 46-year-old singer was found submerged in the bathtub in her London hotel room in January after drinking an excessive amount of alcohol, expert witnesses told Westminster Coroner's Court, Ireland's RTE television and Britain's Sky News reported.

O'Riordan, whose distinctive and powerful voice underpinned the group's rapid rise in the early 1990s, had been in London on a recording trip ahead of a planned tour.

O'Riordan, whose hits with The Cranberries such as "Linger" and "Zombie" catapulted her to fame as a shy 22-year-old, was the voice of her generation, Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said in January.