(NewsSpace.com) – On December 25, 1957, Shane MacGowan was born in Kent, England, to Irish parents, Maurice and Therese. He spent a lot of time in Ireland, where he would eventually settle down with his wife, Victoria Mary Clarke. His rise to fame, first in punk and then Irish music, was plagued by scandals and struggles with addiction, but he remains one of the most revered icons in Irish music to this day. Sadly, he passed away recently after battling an infection.
Musical History
MacGowan had been singing since he was a small child, when his family propped him up on furniture to sing during gatherings. In the 1970s, he embraced punk circles and joined a band called Nipple Erectors, the Nips for short. That quickly faded out, and in 1982, along with Brits Spider Stacy and Jem Finer, he formed Pogue Mahone, which eventually became The Pogues.
It seems MacGowan was born to be a musician in some respect. Not only did he have a beautiful voice, but he also had a real talent for writing lyrics. In fact, RTE, an Irish publication, reported that Irish President Michael D. Higgins said MacGowan was “one of music’s greatest lyricists” and that he had a talent for “connect[ing] Irish people all over the globe to their culture and history.”
One of MacGowan’s biggest hits was “Fairytale of New York,” a Christmas song he co-wrote with Finer and sang with Kirsty MacColl. Decades later, it still hits the British music charts every holiday season.
However, all good things must eventually come to an end, and MacGowan’s struggles with addiction—namely heroin and alcohol—caused a lot of conflict within The Pogues as he missed shows and suffered numerous injuries. The band finally let him go in August of 1991. From there, MacGowan continued to write undeterred and formed Shane MacGowan & the Popes. He would eventually reconcile with The Pogues in 2001 and play with them until 2014, when they broke up again.
Health Issues
MacGowan had suffered a spate of health issues in the past few years, before his death. In 2015, the singer-songwriter broke his pelvis, which he never fully healed from, and thus remained in a wheelchair. In 2021, he was injured again, this time breaking his right knee and tearing the ligaments in his left.
This year, MacGowan remained in the hospital for several months, fighting off an infection. Just days after his release on November 22, he died of pneumonia. His wife posted a tribute on Instagram, saying she was “blessed beyond words to have met him, to have loved him, and to have been so endlessly and unconditionally loved by him.” He is also survived by his father and his sister.
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