It's only January, but 2018 seems determined to top 2017 for bad news. 

The music world suffered a great loss on Monday with the passing of Dolores O'Riordan.  The lead singer of the Irish band the Cranberries was only 46 years old.  While details were not immediately revealed, the mind races, and the heart sinks, with the news that someone so young died suddenly.

RIP, Dolores O'Riordan.  (pic via irishnews.com)

The Cranberries were one of the defining sounds of the early 1990's.  To hear "Dreams" or "Linger" from their debut album, Everybody Else is Doing It, So Why Can't We?,  is to immediately be transported back to 1993.  They were followed by the hit single "Zombie" in 1994 , then "Salvation" and "When You're Gone," in 1996.  The band began to fade from sight after that, but they reunited in 2009 and had a new album called Something Else that came out in 2017.  O'Riordan was apparently working on a recording session in London when she died.

O'Riordan, who suffered from depression and bipolar disorder, had an amazing voice that was raw, powerful, and inspiring to many fans.  She also never seemed comfortable with fame, telling one interviewer:

“My saving grace, I say it again, are my kids. If I didn’t have them, I’m fairly sure I wouldn’t be here – seriously. When you have them you live for them; you can’t be feeling too sorry for yourself, or worrying about yourself when you have kids to look after.”

We certainly won't pretend to know her specific situation, but having seen the unrestrained cruelty of suicidal depression up close, it is heartbreaking every time there's another story about someone who had to fight this battle.  Our thoughts go out to her family, friends, bandmates, and friends.

Let's close with thoughts from O'Riordan that were captured in the liner notes to the Cranberries' 1996 album, To the Faithful Departed:

"This album is dedicated to all those who have gone before us.  No one knows exactly where these people are, but I would like to believe it is a better place.  I believe it is a human impossibility to obtain complete peace of mind in this dimension...To the faithful departed and those left behind, there is a light that never dies."

If you are considering taking your own life, please talk to someone, whether it's a friend, doctor, or the folks at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255).  For our Irish readers, click here for information about the National Office for Suicide Prevention.  No matter how strongly you may believe otherwise, people do want to help, and you are always worth the fight.