Late punk rocker Shane MacGowan’s wife has revealed he was secretly a huge Royals fan.
Victoria Mary Clarke says the staunch Irish republican, who died last Thursday aged 65, was a very different man behind closed doors to his very cynical and boisterous public persona.
Speaking on R4’s Today program yesterday (Sat), she revealed he enjoyed watching documentaries about the royal family and cried when Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Diana died.
She added: “He was always buying flowers and was just a really romantic man.”
Meanwhile, a campaign is underway by his fans to make The Pogues’ Fairytale of New York the number one Christmas hit.
Released in 1987, the song is consistently voted Britain’s favorite Christmas song in polls, but has never managed to secure top spot in the charts, coming second to the Pet Shop Boys’ cover of Always On My Mind in the year of its release.
Victoria Mary Clarke says the staunch Irish republican, who died last Thursday aged 65, was a very different man behind closed doors to his very cynical and boisterous public persona
He was revealed to enjoy watching documentaries about the royal family and cried when Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and Diana died
Clarke, who married MacGowan in 2018 after being engaged for 11 years and in a relationship for decades, said she was “very much in favor” of the British including the song – a duet recorded with singer Kirsty MacColl – in the Wanted to bring festive top spot on the coveted charts.
The singer died at home in Dublin surrounded by his family after falling ill with pneumonia, sparking an outpouring of tributes from around the world.
Earlier this week it was revealed that he had been struggling with a brain disorder for eight years.
MacGowan had been battling viral encephalitis and was only released from hospital last week.
Funeral details have yet to be confirmed for the frontman, whose death was announced in a heartbreaking statement posted on The Pogues’ social media accounts on behalf of the band and his wife, sister Siobhan and father Maurice.
The statement said: “It is with the deepest sadness and heaviest hearts that we announce the passing of Shane MacGowan.”
“Shane passed away peacefully at 3am this morning (November 30, 2023) in the presence of his wife Victoria and family.
“Prayers and last rites were read, bringing comfort to his family.”
“He leaves behind his wife Victoria, his sister Siobhan and his father Maurice, his family and a wide circle of friends.”
“Further details will be announced shortly, but the family requests privacy at this very sad time.”
Victoria later shared more tributes on social media to her husband, whom she married in December 2018 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
She shared a picture of MacGowan smiling on “
MacGowan had been battling viral encephalitis and was only released from hospital last week
Shane MacGowan was in hospital shortly before his discharge on November 22, eight days before his death
She later revealed that MacGowan had spent his final months watching Channel 4’s Irish comedy classic Father Ted.
She brought him a portable DVD player in hospital – and said he couldn’t get enough of the Graham Linehan show about an unhappy couple of priests off the west coast of Ireland.