The Pogues founder and the sang the Christmas classic Fairytale of New York with Kirsty MacColl, Shane Macgowan died at age 65.
Shane McGowan’s wife, Victoria Marie Clark, shared the news in a post on Instagram, saying: “Shane will always be the light before me and the measure of my dreams and the love of my life.”
“There’s no way to describe the loss I feel and the longing for that one smile that lit up my world,” she said. “You will always be in my heart. “Take a walk in that rain-soaked garden you loved so much.”
A spokesperson for McGowan told the BBC that ” Shane Macgowan died peacefully at 3.30 this morning (30 November) with his wife and sister at his side.”
McGowan has suffered health problems in recent years and was released from hospital last week after reportedly spending time in intensive care.
Shane Macgowan life journey and how he together with Kirst McCall release best classic Fairytale of New York
Born in Kent in 1957, he founded the Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band The Pogues in 1982, which released seven albums and achieved considerable success before breaking up in the mid-1990s. The Pogues re-formed in late 2001 and played regularly in the UK, Ireland and the US East Coast until they disbanded again in 2014. His biggest hits include If I Should Fall from Grace with God and Dirty Old Town.
In 1988, McGowan’s Pogues and singer Kirsty McCall released Fairytale of New York, which became a huge hit and is still played every year at Christmas. The song has been voted the best Christmas classic of all time according to several polls. McCall tragically died in 2000 after a freak boating accident.
In 2018, McGowan was honored with a lifetime achievement award at a 60th birthday party in Dublin’s National Concert Hall.