A funeral mass was held for Dolores O'Riordan today at the Church of Saint Ailbe in Ballybricken, Limerick. The Cranberries singer died suddenly on Jan. 15 in her London hotel room. She was 46.
The mass was led by family friend Canon Liam McNamara, along with Father James Walton, Archbishop Kieran O'Reilly and Archbishop Dermot Clifford, and attended by thousands, including O'Riordan's ex-husband Don Burton and their children, her boyfriend Ole Koretsky, the Cranberries' Noel Hogan, Ali Hewson, wife of U2's Bono.
Cranberries collaborators the Irish Chamber Orchestra performed throughout the ceremony, while O'Riordan's nieces and nephews also took part. A guitar and platinum disc laid on the altar to mark her career. The mass was broadcast live on Irish radio, and at midday local time, every independent station in the country played Cranberries track "When You're Gone" as a mark of respect.
"When You're Gone" was played through the church as the coffin was carried out by her brothers and bandmates to applause from the congregation. Her nephews Daniel and Andrew O'Riordan played bagpipes at the end of the ceremony. She was then buried privately at Caherelly Cemetery, in a family plot next to her father, who died in 2011.
O'Riordan, who played in the band D.A.R.K. with boyfriend Koretsky, had been laid in repose for three days, first at St. Joseph's Church in Limerick, and then at Cross' Funeral Home in Ballyneety, before being relocated to Saint Ailbe. Thousands gathered from around the world to pay their respects, leaving flowers and signing condolence books.
O'Riordan, who lived in New York City, had traveled to London the night before her death. She was there to record vocals for Bad Wolves' cover of the Cranberries' hit "Zombie" that day, which she penned in tribute to victims of an IRA bombing in March 1993. Bad Wolves released their cover of the song last week, which she had approved of and wanted to sing on, with all proceeds benefiting O'Riordan's three children. O'Riordan was also meeting with record-label executives to discuss an upcoming album D.A.R.K. had been recording. They had previously released one record, Science Agrees.
The coroner completed an autopsy on O'Riordan to determine cause of death, and now awaits the results. The inquest will be reopened on April 3. Police said they were not treating her death as suspicious.
In addition to fans, many of the singer's peers expressed shock and sadness at her death. Artists including Duran Duran, R.E.M., Garbage, Foster the People, Liz Phair, Adele, Josh Groban and many more all took to social media to share tributes.
On their band's website, Koretsky posted his own statement, mourning O'Riordan as "the love of my life." "My friend, partner and the love of my life is gone. My heart is broken and it is beyond repair," he wrote. "Dolores is beautiful. Her art is beautiful. Her family is beautiful. The energy she continues to radiate is undeniable. I am lost. I miss her so much. I will continue to stumble around this planet for some time knowing well there's no real place for me now."
Immediately after her death, the Cranberries' music made its way back on the charts, with some music reaching higher positions than they ever had before. Combined streams and sales of their catalog increased by more than 1,100 percent, and their greatest hits album, Stars: The Best of 1992-2002, hit No. 16, just days after her passing, where it previously only reached No. 20. "Linger" landed at No. 11, "Zombie" at No. 16 and "Dreams" reached No. 40.