Shane MacGowan, Pogues songwriter and Irish music legend, dies aged 65

One of the all-time great bandleaders and writer of Christmas classic Fairytale of New York, MacGowan invigorated rock with the power of Irish folk music

Shane MacGowan, the lead singer and songwriter of trailblazing Celtic punk band the Pogues and one of the all-time great bandleaders, has died aged 65 following a long period of ill health. His wife Victoria Mary Clarke said: Shane will always be the light that I hold before me and the measure of my dreams and the love of my life."

In December 2022, he was hospitalised with viral encephalitis, and as a result spent several months of 2023 in intensive care.