By Mark Gray
12:00pm PST, Jan 4, 2024
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Shane MacGowan — the voice of The Pogues, whose songs have been a staple in Irish pubs for decades — passed away on Nov. 30. He was 65. The "Fairytale of New York" singer had been battling health problems for years after a lifetime of hard living.
Shane's widow, Victoria Mary Clarke, announced his death on Instagram, calling him "the most beautiful soul and beautiful angel and the sun and the moon and the start and end of everything."
"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," she wrote.
Over the years, Shane collaborated with artists such as Johnny Depp, Sinead O'Connor and Steve Earle. He was also fiercely close with Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.
On Dec. 8, he was laid to rest. Thousands of mourners lined the streets of Dublin to watch as Shane's coffin made its way through the city. Bold-faced names including Johnny — who helped lead the prayers — musician Nick Cave, Ireland's President Michael D. Higgins, actor Aidan Gillen and former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams attended Shane's funeral mass at St. Mary of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, Ireland, and U2's Bono sent a recorded reading, ABC News reported.
Following Shane's death, many in the entertainment world publicly mourned the music icon.
Keep reading to see how his famous friends and fans said goodbye…
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"We pray for a deeper spirit and compassion in the world, may we feel the pain of others, understand their needs and reach out to all who suffer in any way with the continuous love that is rooted in faith and peace. Lord, hear us," Johnny Depp said in part while leading the prayers of the faithful during Shane MacGowan's funeral mass, during which he helped carry his friend's wicker casket (pictured).
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"I knew #shanemacgowan from Punk days with his sister. What a total punk and great Irishman! God bless you! Rest In Punk!" —Boy George
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"A true friend and the greatest songwriter of his generation. [It's] a very sad day." —Nick Cave, via Rolling Stone
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"Pogues. City Gardens. 1986. One of the best shows I ever worked. Thank you Shane. RIP." —Jon Stewart
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"Irish punk legend, genius Pogues singer/songwriter, and hell-raiser extraordinaire. His favourite joke was: 'I was given six weeks to live, about 25 years ago!' Let's make 'Fairytale of New York' the Christmas No1 as a tribute. (He was born on Xmas Day)" —Piers Morgan
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"So sad to hear of the passing of the prolific writer and musician #ShaneMacGowan, a libertine genius of the 20th century, my condolences to his family and to his wife Victoria at this irreplaceable loss. xJRM" —Jonathan Rhys Meyers
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"shane macgowan has made me feel something that nobody else ever could through his work. his way is something i feel inspired by everyday in the studio and on tour. love to those close to him and for the rest of us who wouldn't be here without his music it's a sad day." —Jack Antonoff
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"Farewell, Shane MacGowan. Rest easy." —Elijah Wood
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"Forever grateful to have had the opportunity of opening for the Pogues years ago. Shane was a lyrical god to me, always will be" —Laura Jane Grace
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"Sorry to hear of the demise, after a long illness, of one of the greatest songwriters of my generation, Shane MacGowan. The Pogues reinvigorated folk music in the early 80s and his songs put the focus onto lyric writing, opening doors for the likes of myself and others." —Billy Bragg
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Ireland's President Michael D. Higgins shared this statement on the passing of Shane MacGowan:
"Like so many across the world, it was with the greatest sadness that I learned this morning of the death of Shane MacGowan.
Shane will be remembered as one of music's greatest lyricists. So many of his songs would be perfectly crafted poems, if that would not have deprived us of the opportunity to hear him sing them.
The genius of Shane's contribution includes the fact that his songs capture within them, as Shane would put it, the measure of our dreams – of so many worlds, and particularly those of love, of the emigrant experience and of facing the challenges of that experience with authenticity and courage, and of living and seeing the sides of life that so many turn away from.
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.
Shane's talent was nurtured from a young age by his mother Therese, herself an award winning folk singer in her own right. Therese, who lost her life in such tragic circumstances on New Year's Day 2017, inspired in Shane the love of Irish music and traditions which resulted in the wonderful music and lyrics which have been a source of such joy for so many people.
Born on Christmas Day, there was perhaps some form of destiny which led Shane to writing 'Fairytale of New York', the timeless quality of which will surely mean that it will be listened to every Christmas for the next century or more. Likewise songs like 'Rainy Night in Soho', 'A Pair of Brown Eyes', 'If I Should Fall from Grace with God' and so many others will live on far into the years and decades to come.
I think too of 'Haunted', and the particular poignancy that both Shane and Sinéad O'Connor have left us in such quick succession.
It was a great honour for me, as President of Ireland, to present Shane with a lifetime achievement award in the National Concert Hall in January 2018 as we marked his 60th birthday. A richly deserved honour.
On behalf of [my wife] Sabina and I, may I extend my deepest condolences to Shane's wife Victoria, his sister Siobhán, his father Maurice, his bandmates in the Pogues and other projects, and to all his many friends and family."
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"Just landed from a 10 hour flight to Hong Kong to hear the news about Shane MacGowan. Gutted. Had the honour to share a stage once, Christmas 2012. One of the all time greats. RIP," musician Frank Turner wrote on X before sharing the beginning lyrics to the Pogues song "If I Should Fall From Grace With God" and singing the verse on Instagram with the message "Rest easy Shane."
"If I should fall from grace with God
Where no doctor can relieve me
If I'm buried in the sod
But the angels won't receive me
Let me go, boys, let me go, boys Let me go down in the mud, where the rivers all run dry"
