Shane MacGowan, the lead singer and songwriter of genre-breaking Irish band The Pogues has died aged 65 following a long period of ill health.
A statement issued by his wife Victoria Mary Clarke, his sister Siobhan and father, Maurice reads: “It is with the deepest sorrow and heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our most beautiful, darling and dearly beloved Shane MacGowan. Shane died peacefully at 3.30 am this morning (30 November, 2023) with his wife and sister by his side. Prayers and the last rites were read during his passing.”
Following some early punk outfits, most notable The Nipple Erectors (AKA The Nips) MacGowan formed The Pogues in 1982 with James Fearnley on accordion, Spider Stacy on tin whistle, and Jem Finer on banjo. Originally known as Pogue Mahone, an Anglicization of the Irish Gaelic for “kiss my ass” before shortening their name to The Pogues.
The Pogues blend of punk attitude with traditional Irish instrumentation and arrangements introduced a whole new audience to traditional Celtic music.
In a 2020 Julien Temple directed documentary Crock of Gold: A Few Rounds With Shane MacGowan, Joe Strummer, the late frontman for iconic punk band The Clash, who produced The Pogues 1990 Hell’s Ditch album, called MacGowan “the visionary, the poet of the band… one of the finest writers of the century.”
In responding to the news of McGowans passing overnight, Billy Bragg posted on twitter: “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.”
His family advised further details will be announced shortly and requested privacy at this very sad time.