Shane MacGowan 's death has been announced, leaving listeners of The Pogues devastated and prompting an outpouring of tributes from friends and fans alike.
The folk singer had been suffering from ill health for several years, after a lifetime of struggling with binge drinking and drug abuse. Shane's cause of death at 65 has yet to be confirmed, but at the time of his passing, he had been discharged from hospital for a little over a week.
Now, Shane's heartbroken wife Victoria Mary has confirmed the singer's cause of death was pneumonia after battling a devastating brain swelling condition, according to the New York Times. He was admitted to St. Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin in July for an infection, seven months after he'd been diagnosed with encephalitis. The rare but very serious condition, which is characterized by inflammation of the brain, leads to death in 10 percent of untreated patients and can also cause seizures and blindness.
Shane had also contracted shingles around this already difficult period, which had spread to his eye and nearly damaged his vision. His longterm partner Victoria Clarke admitted she was "terrified" by the outbreak and immediately sought medical advice. "You don’t know what is going to happen, do you? You just don’t know,” she told the Sunday Independent. "I noticed it on his face. His eye was getting red and began to close over. I called the doctor and the doctor said it was very dangerous so we had to get him to the hospital straight away." At the hospital, medics warned Victoria that the shingles had gone into Shane's brain. He was placed on a drip for two weeks, during which time he was unable to consume any alcohol. Victoria revealed that the detox left him "p*ssed off" but that he seemed "normal" since receiving treatment.
In 2015, Shane suffered a fall after getting out of a van and ended up in hospital with a fractured pelvis. His younger sister Siobhan later confirmed that he would not need an operation to heal the break, assuring fans that physiotherapy and rest would be sufficient for his recovery. Shane suffered another setback in 2020, breaking his knee and tearing his ligaments after falling at his home. He was required to wear a cast following the accident, which left him bedridden, and also struggled to eat 'for days' due to loss of appetite.
Shane had struggled from substance abuse, including binge drinking and drug addiction, from a young age. He revealed he'd taken his first sip of Guinness at five years old and had spent a great deal of time in pubs and bars with his father as a child. Victoria has also spoken about Shane's relationship with alcohol in the past, explaining that his "whole career" revolved around environments where booze were present.
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