After being hospitalized in a Dublin hospital for many months with a blood infection, it was announced today that the Pogues lead singer Shane MacGowan had died…
OBITUARY by Ian Woolley
The Pogues – Stiff Records B Sides 1984 – 1987
Hailed by many in the music world including Nick Cave as ‘the greatest songwriter of his generation’, the former frontman of the Pogues penned some of the greatest songs including the ever-popular Christmas classic ‘Fairytale Of New York’.
The son of Irish immigrants, Shane was born in Kent but spent the first early years of his life being brought up in Tipperary, Ireland. Despite being expelled from school, he first came to the attention of the press when he attended a 1976 Clash concert.
After forming a punk band The Nipple Erectors for a short time, he then joined The Pogues as Pogue Mahone. Despite their first couple of singles not having much impact on the charts, they proved increasingly popular as a live act through MacGowan’s raucous stage presence. In 1987, they had a top 10 single with the fellow Irish band The Dubliners with “The Irish Rover”.
Their follow-up single “Fairytale Of New York” (written by MacGowan) featured Kirsty MacColl and almost got to no.1 in the UK charts. However, 10 years later he would make the top slot when he sang on Lou Reed’s charity single “Perfect Day” to raise funds for Children In Need. It went on to sell over a million records and raise over two million pounds.
After being sacked from the group in 1991, MacGowan formed his own band for a short while called Shane MacGowan and The Popes where they recorded several albums and toured internationally. He rejoined the Pogues in 2001 for the first of several successful reunion tours until they finally broke up in 2014.
In 2016 he was confined to a wheelchair after a bad fall and since being admitted to hospital for several months this year, the 65-year-old singer had other health issues but was discharged to spend Christmas with his family.
In 2020, he recorded several songs with Cronin which has yet to see the light of day. Despite years of constant drug and drink abuse, it was reported in 2016 that he was “sober for the first time in years”.
His family released the following statement earlier –
“It is with the deepest sorrow and heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our most beautiful, darling and dearly beloved SHANE MACGOWAN. Shane died peacefully at 3.30am this morning (30 November 2023) with his wife and sister by his side. Prayers and the last rites were read during his passing.
He is survived by his wife Victoria, his sister Siobhan and his father, Maurice.
Further details will be announced shortly but the family ask for privacy at this very sad time”.