Shane MacGowan, lead singer of Irish band The Pogues, has died at the age of 65. He had been suffering from health problems for some time.
McGowan’s wife, Victoria Marie Clarke, wrote in an extensive message on Instagram that the “love of my life” was no longer there. The two have been together for over 32 years.
The singer has been hospitalized several times in recent years. McGowan has been in a wheelchair since 2015 after suffering a broken pelvis. Last summer he had an infection. He has been in hospital since then. He finally came out this week and seems to be doing better again.
The Pogues became famous in the Netherlands for their Christmas single New York story, which is played on the radio every year at Christmas. The band made the song with Kirsty MacColl.
MacGowan was kicked out of The Pogues in 1991 because the other members thought he was unreliable and that he shared too much. Then the singer founded his own group, which remained active until the beginning of this century. In 2001, MacGowan rejoined The Pogues. The group toured until 2014, after which the band split.
