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Shane MacGowan has died after a long battle with an illness, with his family confirming his health struggles as a major factor in his death. The Pogues frontman, who is the voice behind several iconic hits like the infamous holiday song Fairytale of New York died on Thursday according to his family. Prior to his death, he had been in and out of hospitals for years battling a life-threatening condition, with his wife sharing regular updates about his health on social media.
Pogues Singer Dies At 65
In a social media post announcing his death, Shane MacGowan’s wife Victoria Mary Clarke confirmed the icon died at about 3 a.m. on Thursday. He spent his last moments surrounded by family, including his wife, who recently marked their fifth wedding anniversary with a sweet Instagram photo. In her statement, the aggrieved woman remembered her late husband as the love of her life, the measure of her dreams, the light she held on to, and the most beautiful soul.
Victoria went on to describe Shane MacGowan as a “Beautiful angel” who meant the sun and the moon to her, and the start and end of everything she held most dear even after his death. She found solace in the knowledge that her deceased husband “has gone to be with Jesus and Mary,” and reunited with his late mom Therese. Victoria continued,
“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.”
Shane MacGown’s Cause of Death Explored
Before his death, Shane MacGowan battled several devastating health conditions, with his health slowly deteriorating in the last eight years. While his failing health was attributed to his past alcohol and substance abuse, he was eventually diagnosed with viral encephalitis in December 2022, which plagued him until death. He spent his most recent years confined to a wheelchair following a 2015 accident that left his pelvis fractured.
Notably, his battle with encephalitis, a life-threatening condition characterized by swelling of the brain, led to several hospital stints these past months. The legendary singer recently faced another hospitalization this month at St Vincent’s Hospital, Dublin in the wake of his encephalitis diagnosis. Shane MacGowan died barely a week after his discharge, and his cause of death has since been linked to the ailment. Several fans and celebrities have turned up in their numbers to bid him farewell, with heartfelt tribute across various platforms. Although gone from this world, his musical legacy would continue to live through his millions of fans.