On Thursday morning, the wife of iconic Irish punk singer Shane MacGowan announced that he passed away at the age of 65.
In a statement to the BBC, MacGowan’s spokesperson confirmed that he "died peacefully at 3:30 am this morning (30 November) with his wife and sister by his side."
"Prayers and the last rites were read during his passing," he added.
Victoria Mary Clarke, MacGowan’s wife, wrote on Instagram, "I don’t know how to say this so I am just going to say it. Shane who will always be the light that I hold before me and the measure of my dreams and the love of my life and the most beautiful soul and beautiful angel and the sun and the moon and the start and end of everything that I hold dear has gone to be with Jesus and Mary and his beautiful mother Therese."
"I am blessed beyond words to have met him and to have loved him and to have been so endlessly and unconditionally loved by him and to have had so many years of life and love and joy and fun and laughter and so many adventures. There’s no way to describe the loss that I am feeling and the longing for just one more of his smiles that lit up my world.
"Thank you thank you thank you thank you for your presence in this world you made it so very bright and you gave so much joy to so many people with your heart and soul and your music. You will live in my heart forever. Rave on in the garden all wet with rain that you loved so much. You meant the world to me," she wrote.
The singer-songwriter was the frontman of The Pogues, an Irish punk band, from 1982 until their break up in 2014.
The band released seven studio albums, featuring hits like Fairytale of New York, If I Should Fall from Grace with God, and Streams of Whiskey.
According to the BBC, MacGowan revealed on New Year’s Eve that he had been diagnosed with encephalitis in 2022. The singer has used a wheelchair since 2015 after being injured in a fall.
Clarke revealed on Twitter that MacGowan had been released from the hospital on November 22, with the two celebrating their wedding anniversary just days later.
Irish President Michael D Higgins described MacGowan as one of "music's greatest lyricists."
"Like so many across the world, it was with the greatest sadness that I learned this morning of the death of Shane MacGowan," he said.
"His words have connected Irish people all over the globe to their culture and history, encompassing so many human emotions in the most poetic of ways."
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
