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The world is mourning the death of Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan, the artist behind songs like “Fairytale of New York” and “The Old Main Drag.”
According to the New York Times, Clarke said that MacGowan, 65, died of pneumonia.
News of his death was confirmed by his wife, Irish journalist and author Victoria Mary Clarke, who said in a statement on November 30: “Shane will always be the light I hold before me and the measure of my dreams and love “my life”.
MacGowan suffered bouts of illness for many years, including periodic bouts of pneumonia that kept him hospitalized.
Last week it was announced he would be released from hospital before his 66th birthday on Christmas Day.
In a post last Wednesday evening, his wife tweeted a picture of him wearing a scarf and bobble hat and thanked the nursing staff for their support.
Last year, MacGowan announced he had been diagnosed with encephalitis in a video posted to social media on New Year’s Eve. He was treated at St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin after being diagnosed with the disease last year.
(Victoria Mary Clarke)
Encephalitis is a rare but serious condition in which the brain becomes inflamed or swollen. It can be life-threatening and requires urgent hospital treatment, with young children and the elderly at greatest risk.
It’s not always clear what causes encephalitis, but it can be caused by viral infections, a problem with the immune system, or bacterial and fungal infections.
Many fans feared for MacGowan’s health since he almost drank himself to death in his 20s. Still, he told the Guardian in one of his final interviews: “Of course I like life.”
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Fans, friends and admirers flocked to tributes, including famous admirers such as Irish rock band U2, singer Imelda May and Libertines star Carl Barat.
(PA archive)
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said MacGowan had “wonderfully captured the Irish experience”, while his former bandmates shared a black and white picture of MacGowan smiling on stage.
Mary Lou McDonald, president of Sinn Féin, described Shane MacGowan as “a poet” who was unique in telling “the Irish story”.
She said that Ireland “has lost one of its most beloved icons and the world has lost one of its greatest songwriters.”
“Shane was a poet, a dreamer and a social justice advocate. He was a committed republican and a proud Irishman,” she added.
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