Hundreds of people are gathering to pay their respects to Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan whose body is in public repose.

The singer's open coffin is resting at the alter at Saint Joseph's Church, in her home town of Limerick in Ireland.

Fans, many holding white roses and daffodils, lined up outside the church to mourn at her side this afternoon.

Image:Dolores O'Riordan found fame with the Cranberries in the late 1990s
Dolores O'Riordan's casket arriving at the church
Image:Dolores O'Riordan's casket arriving at the church

One music fan, who visited the church to pay her respects, said the star was a "legend" who "took over the world" with her music.

She told Sky News: "I'm so grateful to the family that we – the public – got to see her and pay our respects to her… I thought she was amazing, she was a credit to Ireland."

Father James Walton, the parish priest in the Irish singer's home town, said a funeral mass will take place at the Church of Saint Ailbe in Ballybricken, County Limerick, at 11.30am on Tuesday.

The funeral mass is expected to be broadcast live by local radio.

Fans gathered outside as the hearse arrives
Image:Fans gathered outside as the hearse arrives
The coffin being carried as mourners watch on
Image:The coffin being carried as mourners watch on

The 46-year-old Cranberries frontwoman was found dead in a hotel in London last Monday. She was in the city for a recording session when she was discovered in her room.

Police have said they believe her death to be non-suspicious.

It comes as an inquest into O'Riordan's sudden death was opened on Friday in London, during which it was heard that a series of tests were carried out to establish a cause of death.

The hearing has been adjourned until 3 April, when a date for a full inquest will be set.

Fans queuing to enter the church
Image:Fans queuing to enter the church
Fans outside the church in Limerick
Image:Fans outside the church in Limerick

The musician rose to fame in the 1990s and became renowned for her distinctive voice. The Cranberries enjoyed huge success with tracks such as Linger and Zombie.

O'Riordan had been working on a new album with the band in the months before her death and was expected to discuss its release with her record label BMG while she was in London, according to her publicist.

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The band's spokesperson confirmed the upcoming project.

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