| Dolores O’Riordan’s longtime friend has said she sounded “full of life” and was “joking” just hours before her death |
Dan Waite, managing director of rock musical label Eleven Seven International, has told how The Cranberries singer left a voicemail on his phone shortly before she passed away on Monday (15.01.18) aged 46 in London ahead of a recording session in the capital.
He told PEOPLE: “Dolores left me a voice message just after midnight last night stating how much she loved Bad Wolves’ version of ‘Zombie.’
“She was looking forward to seeing me in the studio and recording vocals.
“She sounded full of life, was joking and excited to see me and my wife this week. The news of her passing is devastating and my thoughts are with Don her ex-husband, her children, and her mother.”
The ‘Linger’ hitmaker was due to team up with Bad Wolves later on Monday to record the remix of ‘Zombie’, and the group’s singer Tommy Vext admitted the band’s hearts have been “broken” by the news.
He wrote on Facebook: “We are shocked and saddened at the news of Dolores’s passing, mere hours before she was to record vocals on our upcoming version of Zombie.
“We have always had deep respect for her as an artist and a vocalist and she was never afraid to bare her soul in her music and lyrics.
“Zombie is an incredibly personal song and although we are a hard rock band, we always felt the rawness and honesty she projected on stage and in her recordings was something to which all bands should aspire to, regardless of genre.
“When we heard she liked our version and wanted to sing on it, it was the greatest compliment a new band, or any band for that matter, could have received.
“Our hearts are broken that we were not able to see this collaboration through and our deepest condolences go out to her family, friends, loved ones and fans in Ireland and around the globe.
“We hope we can still make her proud by sharing our version of Zombie with the world.”
Dolores’ Cranberries bandmates, Fergal Lawler, Noel and Mike Hogan, have also admitted they were “devastated” to hear of her death.
They wrote on Twitter: “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.”